She's Back, Revised
by Lady Nakosha
Summary: Usagi leaves Tokyo, but comes back only to find that things have both changed and stayed the same. When the unthinkable happens to Usagi that could both destroy and save her, an unlikely hero comes to the rescue.
1. She's Back Temporary Note

Good news, y'all. I've decided - obviously - that the story is back on, which should symbolize both relief and skeptism from those who are aware of my sketchy past with updates.  
  
But rest assured that I have changed and that this story is so on again that the onslaught of updates and uploaded chapters will astound you and wash away those doubts at once!  
  
Lady


	2. Prologue

She's Back... – Prologue  
Lady Nakosha  
  
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I've decided to take up the story She's Back once again, which I know a lot of people will be happy to hear. I'm obviously revising and combining the chapters because, well, I read over my story, and frankly, I was horrified at my story. The explanations are terrible, a lot of things don't flow and stay consecutive, and chapters get shorter and shorter by the second! So, I'm apologizing for that now, and I'm reassuring that all of that is about to end! I just hope that the revisions I make are to your satisfactory and help the story grow and more accurately show my ever- changing and maturing writing styles! So... with that in mind, I hope you enjoy She's Back whether you're a first time reader or a fan of mine since the beginning!  
  
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ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
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"She's going to find out sooner or later." A female, throaty voice finally said with a hint of shame, her fingertips running up and down his arm in lazy circles.  
  
His voice was hungry with desire. "She won't find out, unless one of us tells her." Fear flickered in his cobalt depths. "You won't tell, will you?" He added more desperately, "Will you?"  
  
"I won't tell anyone." She agreed bitterly, turning her head towards the rising sun and early morning sky. "How can I? If anyone knew... how could I face them?" She looked at him for solace, but only found uncertainty and apprehension for the future. She loved him; she was sure, but her heart couldn't help but to be heavy with misery and her conscience dripping with guilt from what she had done in order to realize the extent of her love.  
  
He stroked her hair lovingly. I'm not alone in this, he thought, the notion was suddenly his only comfort left if everything didn't go according to plan and blew up in his face. What was that saying? When shit hits the fan... "If she ever found out, I don't know what I could--"  
  
She sat straight up, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as a sudden chill ran down her spine. "Wait. I--"  
  
He tried comforting her, but her body was tense and unmovable. "What's the--"  
  
"Anyone here?" Another cheerful, female voice called out. The sound of bags being dropped on the wooden floor echoed throughout the seemingly empty household.  
  
The female's heart stopped cold. Her nightmare was becoming real... "I thought you said she wouldn't be home until..."  
  
"I know, but she told me that she wasn't coming home for another hour!" He protested, scrambling out of the bed. Why was she home early? Why couldn't she just be diverted from the bedroom for a minute or two...  
  
She climbed out of the bed a moment too late. As soon as the wet sheets slid from her naked form, the double doors to the master bedroom were pushed open to reveal the usually beaming princess, Usagi Tuskino, who was instead staring at the frozen, guilty party with confused, accusing eyes.  
  
"Rei?" She managed to choke out, her voice thick with emotion and disbelief. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, to her head, as she fought to steady herself by groping the door frame for support. Usagi inhaled a ragged, quivering breath through her nose as she watched the two of them glance at each other then slowly at her.  
  
"Usa, this looks absolutely horrendous, but..."  
  
"Please, don't just..."  
  
Usagi wasn't sure anymore who was begging her to listen, she couldn't comprehend exactly what was going on. There had to be some kind of reasonable explanation, this had to be some kind of mistake... her friend, one of her guardians who vowed to be her loyal protector until the day she died wouldn't go off and hurt her like this...  
  
But when she looked over at the guilty male, her breath caught in her throat and lodged itself there. He looked so beautiful, with his dark tousled hair, distinctive handsome features, and tall, muscular build... Usagi couldn't help but to hear the small voice, the tiny evil voice in the back of her head tell her that this was bound to happen, someone so gorgeous as him wouldn't be bound to someone so much less attractive as herself, even if destiny fated them to be. Her eyelids were burning as she let the tears run down her face, one after another, each one hotter and stung more than the last as everything boiled down to the truth before her.  
  
"Oh," Usagi's voice broke miserably as her world crashed around her and her heart burst into pieces at her feet, "Mamo-chan?"


	3. Chapter One

She's Back... - Chapter One  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
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For a few weeks or so while I'm revising the chapters and adding more (yay!), the chapter count and blah, blah, blah will be messed up. Repeat: They WILL be all screwed up and weird. But rest assured that the content is right. So the count is wrong (unless otherwise noted), but the chapter substance themselves are okay. :)  
  
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
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Five Years After Prologue  
  
Usagi woke in a cold sweat and touched her face only to find it drenched in her sweat and mixed with her tears. She had been crying in her sleep. Again. She'd had that same dream, or rather nightmare, again. The same dream that refused to leave her alone and leave her memories of the past and pain to rest.  
  
That was all in the past! They had only recently started up; Usagi wondered if coming back to the very place onslaught of dreams. It wasn't her choice to come back to Tokyo, however. In fact, when Usagi had heard from her supervisor that she, along with seven others, were the lucky designers chosen to fly all the way from New York to Tokyo for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in designing the new spring-line for outrageously famous, internationally known models, Usagi had tried her hardest to subtly, but desperately squirm her way out of it. But it had been no use because getting out of the trip would have put her job and her credibility as a rising and quickly becoming designer on the line. And losing her position, as a notable designer was one thing Usagi couldn't afford.  
  
After all, Tokyo was where her life had revolved around before she left in a rage, anxious to start her life anew where she was unknown and no one who she loved... and hated... were attached to her any longer. But still... why did her dreams have to keep reminding her of something that she so desperately wanted to forget altogether?  
  
Usagi stood and stretched her sleepy limbs before she trudged to the bathroom and stared into the mirror, taking in her appearance. It was amazing; sometimes she failed to recognize herself. Her eyes had darkened to a deep blue with pale flecks of gray surrounding the pupil and held the wisdom and mysteries of someone years her senior.  
  
Her hair was still that glorious, pale blond that you only see on the heads of toddlers, but shortly after arriving at New York, Usagi had forced herself to go to a professional hair dresser and had her chop her beautiful locks off to her mid shoulder and from then on, visited every three months or so to have her perm redone. She hadn't put her hair up into their familiar meatballs in years, but instead she opted for a more sophisticated look of curly and short, a changed look that reflected the changed person that she was. Putting her hair up into the trademark style that she was recognized for almost hurt now, it symbolized her more naïve, past self that she could never be again.  
  
But there were things that hadn't changed and that never would. She still shared the same porcelain, unblemished features that she had when she was a teenager struggling to keep up in school and at the same time live up to be the savior she had been destined to be...  
  
Splashing icy cold water on her face, she groped her way around the bathroom for a washcloth as water blurred her vision and dripped from her long, curly lashes.  
  
"Damn, where is that cloth?" Usagi clenched her teeth in irritation as she finally grabbed one off the toilet seat and dried her face off.  
  
Glancing at the clock on the nightstand from the corner of her eye, she read the digits and rolled her eyes. Waking up so early and going to sleep so late was going to start taking its toll on her complexion, Usagi was sure of it.  
  
She'd never be able to get back to sleep. Not with the kind of luck with dreams that she was having. Scratching the back of her head venomously, she grabbed her cell phone, detached it from the charger and dialed the number that she had just begun using and had committed to memory.  
  
Sighing in relief as the dialing tone stopped and someone answered; Usagi put her cheeriest and most persuasive voice on and dove in for the kill. "Motoki? It's Usagi."  
  
Motoki's grumble turned into a yawn mid way. "Usa, the sun hasn't even risen yet!"  
  
"Oh, is it really that early? I hadn't noticed! But anyway... I was wondering if you would, you know, mind meeting me outside the arcade for a nice, two AM walk with a friend?"  
  
With mock annoyance, Motoki agreed, but only after making an even bigger deal over the fact that he was losing sleep and was going to become sleep deprived. Usagi let him yammer on until he felt she had received her earful of complaints and that she had apologized and thanked him more than a few hundred times before they finally hung up.  
  
She hummed merrily as she changed into her most worn jeans and a random gray tank top before heading out. Their early morning conversations seemed to becoming a reoccurring, daily ritual that Usagi was actually becoming used to. Minus the horrible dreams that were set out on reminding her about her mistake of putting so much love and trust into one man that ended up breaking her heart in the end anyway.  
  
With a resigned sigh, Usagi realized that not only was she in a war against her dreams, but now with her thoughts.  
  
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Checking her watch for the millionth time it seemed; Usagi peered out into the muggy darkness, hoping that Motoki would get there soon. Her mind was playing games with her; every questionable shadow that crossed her vision seemed to be yet another disguise for a prowler or shady character that was lurking in the darkness, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce her.  
  
He was already ten minutes late. Motoki was a very punctual person; he was never more than--  
  
"I see that you still don't trust the darkness since our meeting yesterday." A familiar, deep voice rumbled playfully from behind her.  
  
Startled, Usagi looked up and smiled slowly as her hands' shaking lessened. His tousled blond hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed--which he had--and his eyes still had that sleepy-eyed look. His lean, yet muscular figure loomed over Usagi by more than just a few inches.  
  
Relief poured into Usagi at the sight of someone so familiar and someone who was... home. "Thank you for coming." Usagi remarked meaningfully. "But you are late." She teased good-naturedly.  
  
He smiled, his eyes sparkling. "Well, well, look whose talking! The former queen of unquestionable lateness herself. And besides, you're the one who called me two in the morning. I suggested a later time, maybe sometime when restaurants were actually open so that we could eat breakfast and so I could properly get ready, not be so tired and look like hell, but that's not how Usagi works." Motoki grinned wickedly. "I didn't know I was so irresistible that you couldn't stay away long enough for the sun to rise..."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "You are so full of it sometimes, I swear."  
  
"I am, but I have every right to be since you made me come up--"  
  
"Okay, okay, I get it already." Usagi laughed as she linked her arm through his as they started making their way down the empty street. They fell into a comfortable sync; but both of them knew that the joking, lighthearted part of their conversation had come to an end as more serious issues played at them. "So how's everyone doing?" She asked softly, soft enough that Motoki almost didn't catch it.  
  
Motoki unlinked his arm with Usagi and wrapped it around her waist and pulled her closer (in a brotherly fashion, he wasn't sure). Motoki was mildly surprised at himself when he noted that her hair smelled vaguely of strawberries and warm vanilla. Despite that he knew of pain that Usagi was being forced to bear, he couldn't help but to be attracted to her undeniable beauty, both inside as a person and outside, physically. "Fine, I guess." He finally answered. "They talk about you a lot." He lifted her chin so she was looking him in the eye. "Maybe you should think about contacting them, Usa. You wouldn't even have to tell them that you're here, just that you're okay and to reassure them. They miss you terribly."  
  
Usagi looked away, her eyes unexpectedly filling with tears. The thought of seeing them again, the same girls that had sworn their undying loyalty and friendship to her, only to be disappointed by her cowardly nature to run away from the pain that threatened to overwhelm her...  
  
Usagi wasn't sure of which she couldn't face more: the shame of dropping her friends and leaving them without so much of a goodbye or the torture of seeing the two people that had put her in the position to stay and bear the humiliation, the horror or to disappear and still bear the humiliation and the horror. "Well, they wouldn't miss me if Rei and--" She broke off and dropped her head in frustration. "I promised myself I wouldn't talk about them, or much less cry. I made a solid promise and here I am talking about them and... and... crying about it too!" She angrily rubbed the tears away from her face. "It's been over five years, Motoki. It's been five years and yet it still feels as if they stabbed me in the back just yesterday."  
  
Motoki took her hands in his and gently dried her face with his fingertips. "Maybe you should talk about it. Maybe it would help."  
  
Usagi rubbed her temples in aggravation. "I already dream and think about it twenty-four-seven. I don't think I could handle talking about it and having them take up every aspect of my life."  
  
"Right." Motoki looked thoughtful, as if he was contemplating the complexities of women. "When you're ready, Usagi, I'll be here or wherever you need me to be to listen."  
  
"I know," Usagi murmured as she began to lose herself in the tide of her memories, every sweet and heart-wrenching memory.  
  
He bit his lip. "I didn't tell you before... but..."  
  
Usagi looked at him, her eyes glassy with vulnerability and ache, her mind had yet to register what he was trying to say. "Does she mention me at all?"  
  
Motoki's heart squeezed for her. In spite of Rei's betrayal, it was obvious that Usagi, deep down, beneath the layers of hurt and anger, still cared for her longtime friend. "Yes. She talks about you often." Motoki hesitated. "Mamoru also--"  
  
Usagi turned away from him, he felt her shut down completely at just the mention of her ex-boyfriend's name. "Please, Motoki don't say his name."  
  
Motoki nodded, he understood that she still needed time. "I'm sorry." He looked away, partly embarrassed and partially because of what he still had to tell her. But it wasn't time yet. She obviously wasn't ready, nor would she be any time soon, Motoki realized.  
  
Motoki looked over at Usagi and noticed that she was fighting a losing battle against not crying. "Are you okay?" Motoki bristled at himself quietly; of course she wasn't crying! She was still mourning the fact that her boyfriend—the former love of her life--and her best friend had done the naughty (bad choice of words, forgive me )!  
  
Motoki was standing in front of her, both hands on her shoulders and gazing down at her, his eyes filled with concern.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, sure, I'm okay." She reassured him, her continual flow of tears giving her away.  
  
Despite his skepticism, he let it go. She didn't need any more pity or interrogation. "Okay."  
  
She nodded, this time more firmly. "Yeah, definitely, I'm totally fine. Just a little emotional is all."  
  
Talk about the understatement of the year, Usagi thought bitterly.  
  
She let him envelop her in a tight, breathless hug. She clung to him and took in mouthfuls of air. Usagi's thoughts took an interesting turn from wallowing in self-pity to the sudden assault of foreign feelings that suddenly didn't feel so foreign, odd enough. She had always held a fondness for Motoki, a childish crush, but after her feelings for him had begun to dull, Usagi had thought that her teenage crush had come to a close, but now...  
  
Her heart skipped a beat and drummed in her breast, uncertain, as his eyes softened with smoldering look of adoration and affection, the hairs on Usagi's neck rose as the warmth of his body against hers disappeared and was instantly replaced by the cold of loneliness when he stepped back half a step.  
  
She watched him with haunted, half-closed eyes as he lowered his face towards hers, his fingers gently holding the tender outside of her arm. Usagi's throat closed as she fought against an open display of emotion. The way he was holding her; God, she hadn't been held in so long... not since she had seen Mamoru and Rei, at least...  
  
Instead of kissing her, as Usagi had originally expected, he rested his forehead against hers, their noses were brushing each other's and she could feel his breath on hers as he watched her dissolve into a puddle of tears and desire for happiness at the same time.  
  
He was witnessing her pain, the secret misery that she had managed to quell until now, until Motoki had opened something within her and released everything that she had put away into the dark of her heart.  
  
Motoki understood something that Usagi herself still failed to understand and see, herself. But she realized, if nothing else, that Motoki had brought out the weakness in herself that she was so desperate to hide, and he was willing to help her overcome it, no longer how long it took, and for that she was thankful.  
  
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Motoki had been so close, his heart and mind had come to an agreement that this was what he wanted, but when he saw her eyes, tortured by what had been done to her, he knew that he couldn't do it.  
  
He couldn't make her pain stop, even if her eyes unconsciously begged him to, he couldn't give her something that wasn't his to give in the first place.  
  
But as he watched her struggle and war inwardly with herself, he promised himself that when the time did come and when she was ready, whenever it was, he would give her his heart, as she would give him hers.  
  
Her hands stroked the nape of his neck as his arms softly held the small of her back, pressing her to him. It was almost as if their bodies were having the conversation that they themselves could not speak. Usagi cleared her throat; it felt clogged and unused. "Thank you for meeting me, Motoki. I... I..."  
  
Motoki nodded slightly, it wasn't an easy task as his painfully bumped against hers when he tried. "I already told you, its fine."  
  
Motoki kissed her forehead tenderly, implying that there was more of that to come. Usagi began trembling, he was so careful with her fragile feelings, he didn't push her too hard, but at the same time, he didn't abandon her at first sight of a rocky journey ahead. Usagi broke away from him, her cheeks heated to a pink hue. "Well, I don't want to keep you any longer than I have. You've done more than you've had to do already."  
  
"Really, I..."  
  
Usagi didn't let him finish. "You have to go anyway." Usagi smiled softly. "You need your beauty sleep, remember?"  
  
Motoki nodded in reluctant agreement. Had he said that? "Yes, as usual, you're right, I guess."  
  
"I'll call you at two in the morning again tomorrow, okay?" Usagi weakly joked, trying to break the tension between them.  
  
Motoki gave her a lopsided smile, but simple as his words were, they didn't have the same teasing demeanor. "Anytime, Usagi, anytime."  
  
Spinning on her heels, she ran off towards the direction of the hotel she was staying at, the past hour blurred past her; Usagi bit her lip, if her dreams were bad before, she hated to see how they had progressed from bad to worse.  
  
Her heart always seemed to be getting her into impossible situations and yet again it hasn't proved her wrong.  
  
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Usagi stared at the abstract painting dreamily as she went over each detail of the night before in her mind. Sipping her decaf hazelnut latte, she wrinkled her forehead in deep concentration. It was amazing how much could change in such a short amount of time.  
  
A sharp intake of air jerked Usagi from her dream-like reverie. Usagi glanced up indifferently, but when she spotted the odd, yet unmistakable hair color that Usagi knew could only belong to one person, Usagi gasped in surprise and the coffee cup she had been drinking earlier slammed down on the mahogany table with an audible thud. "Ami!" She uttered, taking her friend's slightly taller, but still skinny frame in.  
  
Ami's eyes twinkled in amusement, but anyone within a ten-mile radius could tell that her calm front was quickly crumbling to the ecstasy beneath. "You haven't changed one bit." Ami scoffed happily.  
  
Instantaneously Usagi was up on her feet and hugging one of her best friends with all her strength. Surprisingly, Ami hugged back with the same amount of vigor, she could feel herself becoming teary-eyed. Usagi had envisioned the first meeting with one of her friends, but never had she thought that so much emotion would overwhelm her and play such a large role.  
  
Even though leaving was the best, and perhaps only decision that Usagi could have made, she couldn't help missing the closeness with her best friends more than anything.  
  
"I've missed you so much!" Usagi blurt out, her cheeks flushing. "I couldn't help it." She mumbled, subdued for a split second before overcome with disbelief and excitement all over again.  
  
Ami wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans and touched Usagi's arm in amazement, wondering if she was having another dream. Ami shook her head shakily, finally sitting down after convincing herself that this was truly real and her mind wasn't creating another illusion. "I missed you so much...everyone does."  
  
Usagi looked down at her clenched hands. "I missed most of you too." She said quietly, putting quite a bit of emphasis on her words.  
  
"You didn't miss Rei-chan or Mamoru-san any?"  
  
Usagi cocked her head to the side, blankly, as if she hadn't heard the question. "How did you find me?" She hissed, the question if anyone else knew flitted across her mind, but Usagi decided that if they did know, there was nothing she could really do about that and they would have at least made an attempt at notifying her long ago.  
  
Ami said wryly, "The United States, huh? It's amazing how much those newspapers talk about the 'young and beautiful, quickly-becoming, in- demand' clothing line designer." Usagi blushed, but Ami continued. "Your hair is really what completely... just changes you, Usa-chan." Ami was completely glowing. "It looks so amazing, though. So very grown-up."  
  
Usagi shrugged. "I had to do something. Something different and wild... for me, at least. Once you've live in New York for more than a month or so, you tend to never be surprised by anything anymore because you feel like you've seen it all and nothing really shocks you anymore."  
  
"And that's any different from us, how?" Ami giggled.  
  
Usagi gave her an approving look. "You've gained a sense of humor, I'm impressed." She leaned towards her mischievously. "Have you been pardoned from your murder sentence of 'studying too much' yet?"  
  
Ami chuckled. "Not a chance. I've still got these major projects coming up and my work is never done. Plus, New York sounds amazing. I'm going there when I finish getting my degree. They have outstanding medical institutions and programs that I plan on taking up and visiting. And it wouldn't be any use to me to visit those programs if I gave up more than two years' worth of classes."  
  
At Usagi's confused look, Ami squealed, "I was accepted into the Ph.D. program!"  
  
Usagi smiled half-heartedly, but her thoughts took a darker turn. She wished she could have been there to celebrate her friend's accomplishment and share the happiness of the news itself. I'll never get that back... all thanks to certain people, Usagi thought bitterly.  
  
Ami squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. "It doesn't matter if you weren't there." She said, reading Usagi's thoughts. "It just matters that you're here now."  
  
"I guess." Usagi mumbled, not quite fully believing her own words.  
  
Usagi started to slowly sip her coffee that had been momentarily forgotten when Ami made a sound as a realization hit her. "Makoto is waiting for me. In all of this excitement... I forgot all about her!"  
  
Usagi choked on her coffee. "What?" She sputtered hoarsely. "Wait. Makoto is here? Where is she? Does she know--"  
  
Ami laughed. "Well, at least your way to bombard someone with questions hasn't changed. Yes, she's here, but she's in the store next door to here, waiting for me. She must think there is hell of a line because I'm taking so long."  
  
Usagi leaped to her feet and nearly dragged Ami out of her seat and towards the door. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get your coffee and go!"  
  
"But we've just reunited and they need to know that you're--"  
  
"Nooo, no, no." Usagi repeated as she pushed Ami towards the cluster of people. "Ami, please don't tell anyone I'm here. None of the girls or Luna and Artemis, I don't think I can stand seeing any of them yet. I have to go to my family first, and then I'll see about talking to them." She added darkly, "Please, Ami, respect my wishes."  
  
Ami sighed with strong reluctance. "I'm only staying quiet until you tell your family and then its fair ground, okay?"  
  
"Yes, thank you." Usagi patted Ami's cheek once and scribbled her hotel number down on the back of her business card. "Call me sometime, okay?"  
  
Ami nodded, close to tears. It felt like she was losing her beloved friend all over again. "I will, don't worry."  
  
Usagi smiled one last time at Ami before disappearing into the throng of people.  
  
Usagi sighed in resignation on her way out. It had begun.  
  
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"What took you so freaking long?" Makoto grumbled as she took the steaming cup of coffee from her.  
  
Ami shrugged. "Massive line."  
  
"The line didn't look that long from out here." She added suspiciously. "Who were you talking to? Do I know her?"  
  
Ami looked at her sharply. "You saw me with somebody? Did you see her face?"  
  
Makoto blew on the steaming cup. "Nope, I just saw you hugging someone."  
  
Ami relaxed. This game of secrecy with one of her closest friends was tricky and probably not one of her best decisions to play in the first place. For Usagi, Ami thought, solidifying her conviction to keep Makoto from knowing the truth. Ami realized in that moment that if Usagi asked her to do something... anything... she'd do it. She'd hesitate and perhaps question her reasoning, but in the end she'd do it. "Yeah, she was just someone I hadn't seen in a long time," Ami stammered.  
  
"Anyway, we've got a meeting in twenty, so we better head back." Makoto stopped and examined Ami closely. "Ami, are you listening? It's not like you to daydream. You looked really spooked."  
  
"I'm fine." Ami snapped angrily. "Can we just go? Am I allowed to think without someone giving me a Goddamned third degree?"  
  
Makoto squinted at her, bewildered. Whoa. Someone needed some Midol. "Are you sure because we could just skip it, you know..."  
  
"Can we just go already? I'm tired as it is and I have a lot of homework and I don't have time for this chicken shi--"  
  
Makoto held her hands up in surrender, her coffee sloshing over the edge on onto her fingers. Makoto nearly dropped the coffee and yelped.  
  
"Makoto." Ami sighed. "Why can't anything just be simple without something go--"  
  
"Okay, okay, we're going, Jesus, it's just some spilled coffee for heaven's sake...!"  
  
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Usagi closed her eyes, trying to visualize the scene between her and her friends when they would all finally meet face-to-face for the first time in five years. She could only come up with fifty different scenarios, each one crazier and more annoying than the last.  
  
"Miss Kingsley? Ms. Kingsley?" The voice called out insistently, this time more impatient.  
  
Usagi's eyes flew open and she blinked several times as the bright, florescent light flooded into her vision and seared her eyes. "Yes, yes, God, I'm sorry I was just--"  
  
"Well, whatever happened, don't let it happen again." Her 'superior' received a few polite titters and snorts. Usagi blushed. "Ms. Kingsley, would you give us the designs you've made up?"  
  
Usagi began opening her portfolio when the realization smacked her full force. She didn't finish it! She had been so busy thinking about Ami's discovery, her friends, Motoki... she had totally forgotten about finishing her designs last night!  
  
Usagi kept rifling through her papers, even though she was well aware she wouldn't find it. She hit the palm of her hand to her forehead and put on her best face of innocence and sudden understanding. "I--I think I may have left it on my table next to my computer because I was in such a rush to get here, I..."  
  
"Well, then I suppose you should go and get them, until then, this meeting is dismissed. We'll be set back people, but there is no other way to continue it without the designs. Usagi, please get those designs and put them in my box."  
  
Usagi lowered her eyes. "Yes, sir, I apologize again." She shoved her papers into her folder and left the room as quickly as she could without running.  
  
"Hey, Usa, tomorrow you have an appointment with--"  
  
Usagi waved her personal assistance off. "Belle, I'm sorry, but I don't have much time to talk."  
  
Belle spoke quickly, as if she was used to this type of hasty chatter and treatment. "At six-thirty in the evening tomorrow you have an appointment with that model, oh crap, what's her name again? I just had the paper... it was something like Melanie? No, no, it was Rena...no, it couldn't have... it started with a 'm' and was a really... oh here it is! Her name is Minerva Charles."  
  
Usagi blanched. Minerva Charles...it couldn't possibly be her...could it?  
  
"She's called Mina for short. You've heard of her, right? Tall, blonde, beautiful, super model..."  
  
Usagi tuned her out. Yes, of course she knew her; Mina was one of her best friends! "Belle, I have to run, so I'll see you later..." She was already out the door before she could finish her sentence.  
  
Usagi steeled her nerves for the next few hours. Mina may have tendencies to make questionable decisions, but Usagi knew that she wasn't stupid, especially when it came to her modeling career. In fact, she was one of most intelligent, yet one of the dumbest peoples that Usagi's ever met before.  
  
An interesting combination, but would it work to Usagi's favor?  
  
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I hope you enjoyed the first chapter that is a combination of chapter one, two, and three. Please review and let me know how I'm doing.   
  
06/28/04 


	4. Chapter Two

She's Back... - Chapter Two  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
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Another addition within the same month... its an amazing feat, don't you agree?  
  
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ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
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Motoki had gone over yesterday morning only about a hundred times or so in his mind, and each time, he convinced himself that he did the right thing, not kissing her. She was in obvious pain, and kissing her would only fuel that pain and be giving her the idea that he was taking advantage of her and the situation, and well, frankly, that was an idea he did not want to give her.  
  
Motoki paced in his living room, he didn't want to call her and seem like a desperate fool that couldn't stay away. He had to wait for her to call, or else he'd be cornering her, clawing for her attention.  
  
So he would wait.  
  
"Are you going to do that all day?" His younger sister, Elizabeth asked as she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth and began munching on it.  
  
Motoki whirled around, irritably. "I'm thinking, can't you see that?"  
  
"The only thing I can't see is the TV!" Elizabeth complained as she pointedly looked at the television set behind him.  
  
"You'll have the television all to yourself when I leave in an hour for work." He argued, his patience for the fifteen-year-old wearing thin. "Plus, it's my apartment so I can pace wherever I want."  
  
"Well, I'm staying here for a week which means I'm basically living here, more or less, so move!" She reasoned, with an illogical logic, Motoki noted. She attempted to push her older brother aside, but ended up spilling half the bowl of popcorn onto the floor.  
  
"Great job spilling the popcorn!" He rolled his eyes, why did he bother to argue with the imp? "Why don't you try to get it through your head that I pay for the rent, so I own the place. You're a guest, so you're supposed to be thankful and gracious towards me for even considering taking your sorry butt in. Now I suggest that you go to the GUESTroom and watch Nickelodeon."  
  
"I get your point already." She stood up and slammed the bowl down onto the glass, coffee table in exasperation. "I'm fifteen, Motoki. I don't watch Nickelodeon anymore."  
  
"Could have fooled me." He pushed her towards the door and listened to her slam the door and the sounds of MTV wail from the other room after a second of silence.  
  
Motoki once again contemplated calling Usagi, but something physically stopped him from dialing her number.  
  
He hadn't done anything wrong or even right with her; why feel guilt toy with him?  
  
Mamoru.  
  
But that guilt wasn't rational! Mamoru had given up all claims to Usagi's heart the moment he intimately touched Rei, but despite, Motoki knew better. It was just like the time he broke up with Usagi because of the dreams he had, or the time when he had made fun of her when he really was in love with her and when...  
  
Motoki pushed the thoughts of anything relating to Mamoru to the back of his mind. Mamoru wasn't apart of the equation anymore. He had forfeited his place and now Motoki's turn to try to fit in that empty slot in Usagi's heart.  
  
Motoki just hoped that it was cut out big enough for him to fit in.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi stood in front of the two-story house and inhaled the familiar scent of blooming flowers. A rush of memories floated in Usagi's mind as she made her way up the steps and poised her hand to knock at the door.  
  
She knocked three times with a considerable amount of pause between each one. She could hear a boyish voice yell as the sound of thunder pounded down the stairs and the door pulled wide open. Usagi stared at her brother in fascination, he had grown a few inches, his sandy brown-blondish hair had gotten darker and longer, his skin was a bit tanner, his eyes were deep brown, no longer the light-brown that she remembered... and was that an unshaven stubble?!  
  
"Aren't you going to say hi?" She teased shyly.  
  
Her mother came up beside him and searched his face. "Shingo, what is wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost--"  
  
She didn't finish her sentence because she took one look at Usagi and took in a deep breath before her eyes rolled inside her head and she fainted right on the spot. Usagi's hand covered her mouth as she was at her mother's side blowing at her face and cradling her head gently. This definitely hadn't been one of her scenarios.  
  
Before Usagi had time to blink, Shingo was hugging Usagi with every ounce in his being, it seemed. His figure was squeezing Usagi so tightly she was sure she would pass out from the lack of air.  
  
"Shingo...(gasp)...you're choking me, let me go...(another gasp)...I'm just as excited as you, but...(deep breath)...I can't breathe..."  
  
Shingo finally let her go and turned away from her so she wouldn't see that his eyes were wet with tears. Usagi's gaze softened, as she looked at her little brother... who wasn't so little anymore. "Guess I can't beat you up anymore, huh?"  
  
He gave her a wolfish smile. "You never could beat me up in the first place, even if I was a shrimp and a foot smaller than you."  
  
Usagi laughed. "You'd always tell on me so I couldn't beat you up without getting grounded."  
  
"It worked, didn't it?"  
  
Usagi groaned. "Yeah, it did. It was a very effective tactic."  
  
They both became silent and just stared at each other, both unsure of what to say to someone they hadn't seen in nearly five years.  
  
Shingo finally spoke. "Why'd you leave? For five years, Usagi. Five years of not knowing where you were or being able to see you once. You only gave us a letter and called us every some months, sometimes a postcard if we were lucky." He sighed. "It was just like we weren't good enough anymore, so you just picked up and left."  
  
Usagi blinked back tears. She had expected this. These questions; the hurt. But she hadn't expected to see so much hurt in her beloved brother's eyes. But she had to make him understand! "Shingo, I—" she broke off, the way she started off her sentence... it didn't feel as though she would get her point across by begging him to understand and forgive her. "You guys meant everything to me, you still mean the world. But it had to happen; I had to leave. I'll tell you all at the right time, I promise, but right now I just can't. I just have to deal with some things then I can talk, Shingo, just give me time."  
  
"We've given you five years." He pointed out softly.  
  
Usagi's voice cracked at the broken-hearted sound in his voice. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused, but there was no other way around it, the only thing I can do is ask for forgiveness. I'm sorry that I hurt you... but I'm not sorry I left. Leaving was the best decision I made, leaving cleared my head helped me see things through a clearer perspective. I was blind and angry before, I'm still angry, but no longer blind."  
  
Shingo nodded, although Usagi was sure he wouldn't quite grasp what she meant by her being 'blind and angry.' "How long are you staying for?"  
  
Usagi had yet to figure that out for herself. Designers Inc said at least for six months, maybe even a year, but Usagi wasn't sure if she could handle staying that long in the one place that held both horrible and wonderful memories for her. "I'm not sure."  
  
"I guess we'll talk about this later, right now we have help get Mom inside." Shingo looked at their awakening mother.  
  
Usagi helped him gently lift their mother up and carried her over to the couch and laid her down carefully.  
  
Usagi picked at the imaginary dust on her blue jeans. Her mother's eyes blinked slowly at first as she adjusted to the light and came into focus. She sat straight up, which only managed to make her headache worse. "Oooh, my head is killing me..." she moaned, but when she saw Usagi, her eyes immediately lit up, her headache forgotten. "Usagi!"  
  
Usagi weakly smiled, overwhelmed by her mother's repeated hugs and kisses and bursts of glee and happiness. "You're back!"  
  
She nodded, still caught in the whirlwind her mother fainting, then the heartfelt chat with Shngo... "Yes. Yes, I am."  
  
Her mother's brightness left as quickly as it had come. Usagi had also expected this. Just not in such a warped speed. "Honey, what happened? Why did you... disappear?" Her mother looked pained by the word, as if those three syllables summed up her entire existence as a mother.  
  
"I'm sorry, I should have put more consideration into everyone else, but everything happened so quickly that it didn't even cross my mind that I may have other people who love me care if I just fell off the face of the planet."  
  
"Please don't leave again. At least not without telling us." She looked at Usagi adoringly. "After all, you are all grown up now, aren't you?"  
  
Usagi shook her head. She felt so relaxed... so at home. There wasn't another feeling like it. "Yeah, I guess I am."  
  
Her mother stood up. "Would you like some lemonade? Freshly squeezed? Would you mind... telling us what happened or at least giving us somewhere to contact you at? When you're ready, that is." Her mother added quickly, as if she was fearful that Usagi would run screaming in the opposite direction if she felt too closed in by her mother.  
  
As if that was the reason she had left in the first place. But of course I didn't leave because of them, Usagi silently reflected. Usagi hesitated at the offer and glanced at her watch, then to the hopeful faces of her mother and her brother. It was barely past three o'clock. She had more than three hours to kill before meeting with Mina. Maybe staying for another hour or so wouldn't hurt... after all; her family did deserve an explanation, the truth no less.  
  
Maybe it was time to start to come clean with everyone...  
  
She despised Mamoru and Rei for lying and betraying her, but was she really any better for keeping her family in the dark for so long and lying to her friends by not giving them any sign of her existence?  
  
Of course I'm better than those two, Usagi scoffed. I can't believe I compared myself to them, of all people.  
  
"Yeah, Mom." Usagi smiled genuinely. "Lemonade and some overdue heart-to- heart would be nice."  
  
Usagi decided that to be on the safe side, to reassure herself that she was indeed nothing like them—which she wasn't—she'd tell her family everything that had happened in the past five years... even the events that had sparked her eventual decision to leave.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Ami inhaled deeply as she watched the usual scene of laughter and chaos erupt around her. She was going to do it. There was not other way around telling them, Ami decided firmly. She knew she had promised on her life that she wouldn't tell, but she just had to, didn't Usagi understand that? She wasn't accustomed to keeping such huge, life-changing secrets from her friends! And not only that, more than anything, they deserved to know, they had suffered so much in the past five years that she didn't even want to try to keep this from them anymore and be apart of their prolonged suffering.  
  
She refused to take part in this entire fiasco of secrecy! She absolutely hated it and wouldn't do it anymore!  
  
"Guys, I have something really important to tell you." She announced, flinching at how serious her words sounded.  
  
The other three turned towards her. Their conversations stopped immediately as they looked at Ami with confusion and curiosity. "Ami, you sound so serious." Makoto jested, trying to lighten the suddenly somber mood.  
  
Ami opened her mouth to begin, but Mina yelped in surprise and jumped up. "Oh, shit, I've got a meeting with this Kingsley woman from Designers Inc in, like, five seconds and I've still got to get ready. She's supposedly amazing or something."  
  
It didn't even register in Ami's mind that Mina was talking about Usagi; she was so focused on what she would say. "Ami! I've got to go now, so can you just tell us super fast?" she tapped her foot, not bothering to mask her impatience.  
  
Ami gulped, hating the way her voice was raspy and hoarse. "Of course, yesterday I found out that..."  
  
From the intent look on their faces and the bored expression on Mina's, Ami knew that this was neither the right time nor her place to tell them. It was Usagi's decision, as leaving had been, when to tell them and in whatever way that she would. Ami finding out had been unfortunate because now she would have to keep such brilliant news to herself.  
  
Ami cleared her throat in an attempt to buy herself some time to think of a quick, on the spot cover-up that they would believe. "...That we should become more alert because unknown forces may be rising." She finished slowly, cringing at her fake excuse.  
  
Mina threw her hands up in the air and to her delight, shushed her before she embarrassed herself any further. "Ami, pu-leese. Have you got amnesia? You told us that last week and we looked into it and found nothing. And I thought you were going to tell us something important." She interjected sarcastically. If only she knew, Ami thought gloomily. If only.  
  
"Okay. I'm lame, I know. I guess I forgot. I've got a lot on my mind, after all." Ami weakly agreed. "Go already. It's obvious that you're halfway down the block as it is."  
  
Mina shot her a thankful smile and gathered her things before hastily leaving Ami's house. Ami couldn't help but to feel guilt creep up and cast shadows of shame on her heart. She could already hear the nasty voices that proclaimed her guilty and she was doing nothing to defend herself, why plead innocence when the whispers spoke the truth?  
  
But she realized her guilt wasn't based on keeping this secret from her friends. Ami knew that she was probably the only one who knew of Usagi's return and somehow she felt that that pulled her closer to Usagi, that Ami was sharing a secret with Usagi when no one else could.  
  
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"OMG, aren't you Mina Charles?" An excited, high-pitched voice shrieked excitedly. "Can I please, please have your autograph?"  
  
Mina put on a bright, broad smile and turned around. She blinked as several notepads were thrust into her face.  
  
Mina obediently signed her name, each "i" dotted with a heart and each "a" finished with a flourish. After signing several notebooks, scraps of papers, receipts, shirts, and stomachs, Mina made her way through the crowd and breathed a sign of relief as the doors closed behind her and silence filled her ringing ears.  
  
She took her time to relish the sudden quiet and calm atmosphere of the restaurant. "Last name... please?" A squeaky, nervous waiter asked. Mina faced him and gave him another dazzling smile, which seemed to make him lose his concentration and become even more nervous.  
  
"Charles, Minerva Charles." She said confidently, craning her neck to see if she recognized anyone. "For two, that is."  
  
The waiter nodded briskly before grabbing two menus and motioned for her to follow him. His cheeks were flaming and his hands were shaking as he pulled out the chair for her when the arrived at her table. "It seems that your... the person you're meeting isn't here yet. Your waiter will be here momentarily." He finished quickly, searching her face for some kind of praise or acknowledgement.  
  
Mina nodded breezily before flipping through her menu and skimming the choices lazily. "Thank you." He stood there a moment longer than necessary before scurrying off back to the front to help other hungry customers.  
  
Mina was beginning to regret that she had rushed here from Ami's house, worried about being late, when the woman, Serena Kingsley wasn't even here yet! Mina smiled and decided to take this opportunity to go to the bathroom and freshen up and maybe even flirt some with that semi-cute waiter who was so fidgety and anxious to please to her.  
  
Grabbing her purse, Mina stood up and only was able to get ten steps from her table before she bumped into someone, causing them to stumble backwards in surprise. Mina glanced at the woman and was swept up in sudden nostalgia.  
  
What the hell...? The woman looked at her quickly before she downcast her eyes and trained her gaze to the ground, causing a curtain of blond curls to tumble in her face. Mina expertly speed-walked to the bathroom, both unnerved and shaky.  
  
Who was that woman and why was Mina acting so... so... ridiculous? She was acting like a star-struck fool that had yet to collect her wits.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi stared at Mina's quickly retreating back. If her mother hadn't held her up for those ten minutes that she had, then Usagi would have been facing an interrogation from Mina instead of sitting across from her in a heavy, tension filled silence as she waited for Mina to figure out who she really was.  
  
She had seen the flicker of emotions fly across her eyes as she tried to place where she had seen Usagi. Like Ami, it was only a matter of time before Mina and everyone else figured out that she was back.  
  
What was she so afraid of, anyway? Why was she so terrified to let them know of her return? Usagi's brows rose, even she knew the answer to that question. Once her friends found out, Usagi would give them a day or so before one of them accidentally let it slip around Rei or Mamoru that Usagi had come back.  
  
And Usagi wasn't sure if she was ready or fully prepared to see either one of them yet. Suddenly five years didn't seem like such a long time to be away anymore. Maybe she had come back too soon... was even her job worth all of this drama and suspense?  
  
Usagi shook her head in disbelief at what she was getting herself into as she approached the bathroom door. Mina was in there; she knew that. Usagi had the feeling that she was trying to actually sabotage herself and have one her friends figure it out.  
  
Unbelievable.  
  
Mina gave her lipstick a last touch up before she was fully satisfied with her reflection. Pulling her hair back into a low ponytail, she decided against it and her fingers worked with a mind of their own as Mina realized that she was putting her hair back into its traditional half ponytail, minus the bright red bow. God, she hadn't used this hairstyle since... Usagi had left.  
  
Only because my photographer thought that I needed a change, Mina protested silently.  
  
Pushing the heavy door open, she recognized the woman that she had knocked into as pushed her way past her. Mina felt a wave of déjà vu as she stared at the woman's back.  
  
The same thought lingered on her mind. Who was she?  
  
Rubbing her eyes, she shook her head and went back to her table. She couldn't possibly be whom she was thinking. It was a one in a million chance.  
  
But she couldn't help but to let a bubble of hope swell inside of her.  
  
Mina stopped herself from knocking on the bathroom door and continued back to the table. She refused to set herself up for yet another letdown. She refused to break her heart all over again. Once bitten, twice shy, Mina supposed.  
  
Mina mentally used a pin to that darned bubble that had puffed up within her.  
  
The bubble of hope burst.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi zipped her skirt up and flushed the toilet using her high-heeled shoe. Rinsing her hands, she thought about how she was going to react when Mina figured out it was she. It was bound to happen sometime, right? Usagi just hoped that it would be later, rather than sooner.  
  
Looking at the mirror, she pretended to look shocked. "Oh, wow! You've sure changed and everything!" She said to the mirror before covering her mouth with her wet hand. Usagi groaned. She was a clothing designer and Mina was a model for God's sake. It wasn't as if Usagi had actually dropped off the face of the Earth; Usagi read the tabloids, she was updated daily by Belle on the condition of all her potential clients that would model her line.  
  
She tried again. "Usagi? I don't know of any Usagi..." Ugh.  
  
"Excuse me, but this is a business meeting and I don't think that this relates..." Like that would fly with Mina. Try again.  
  
"Um, Mina, can we just keep this a secret between you and me...?" Usagi shook her head; she knew that Mina couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it.  
  
Sighing, Usagi dried her hands and sauntered out of the bathroom with a defeated heart, but nevertheless, a brave smile, as if she was ready to take on the world.  
  
Which she, ironically, was anything but.  
  
When Usagi spotted Mina at the table, waiting impatiently for her arrival, Usagi was struck with an urge to run over and hug her long-time friend. Why should she be? She hadn't seen Mina in so long, yet she was forcing herself to hide from her.  
  
It's not the right time, remember? Her mind reminded her plaintively.  
  
Mustering together whatever was left of her nerves; Usagi marched over to the table and hoped for the best.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Minako Charles?" Surprised, Mina turned around; only to be met by somewhat familiar, startling deep blue eyes. Mina's eyes traveled the rest of her face and realized that it was that same woman... again!  
  
Why did they keep meeting? "Yes?" She rasped, her hands fiddling with her purse's strap. "Please, call me Mina."  
  
"Serena Kingsley, expert fashion line designer at Designers INC. Serena reached out and shook her hand before seating herself across from Mina.  
  
That's where I've seen her from, Mina reasoned. I've read about her... she's the new "it" girl in the world of fashion and designing. That's all. "Oh. That's right."  
  
Usagi shot her a suspicious look when Mina bent over to pick up the napkin that she had dropped on the carpeted floor. She hadn't been sure if she would have been able to shake Mina's hand without her noticing the slight nervous tremble in her hands. Usagi cleared her throat. "So, we're both here to meet you to discuss your affiliation with us at Designers INC, am I correct?"  
  
"Yep." Mina responded, breaking from her formal, business-like tone. Before she could say anymore, their waiter approached them and politely introduced himself before requesting what they wanted for drinks.  
  
"Water is fine for me." They both said in unison. Usagi bit her lip, she knew it wasn't unusual for them to both share a preference towards water, but Usagi felt that anything... even the simplest thing would set off the bomb they were sitting on...  
  
The waiter nodded, not fazed in the least, and hurried off to get their drinks. "Do you know what you're getting?" Mina asked, trying to make conversation. She glanced at Usagi curiously. She wasn't an expert at these meetings by no means, but shouldn't they be going over paperwork or smoothing out any questions in the contract—something to rid them of the heavy silence that hung over their heads?  
  
"Um, not yet." Usagi answered simply, not willing to indulge in a wordy- more-than-necessary conversation. "How about you?" She added, Mina knew only for her sake.  
  
Mina's brows rose. "Yeah, same here." She giggled half-heartedly. Usagi looked at her, inquisitive. "Guess we share a tendency to be indecisive too, huh?"  
  
Usagi cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess we do." But the smile disappeared off her face as quickly as it had come, as if she was doing something wrong. Mina shook her head. Usagi wasn't the only one acting odd; the entire situation felt... different. As if they had done this thousands of times before.  
  
Maybe in a past life, Mina thought, smiling slightly at her inward joke. She snuck a peek at Usagi again, she seemed to be captivated by the selections in the menu, Mina could have sworn that with the intensity that Usagi was reading it with, she would soon start to burn holes through it.  
  
Usagi and Mina didn't say anything for a few minutes; both of them were uncomfortable and lost in their own thoughts; trying to figure out if this entire evening was going to be bust or if one of them could rescue it before the entire evening wasted away in silence. Usagi didn't know what the problem was; she had done business arrangements over lunch a hundred times, Mina wasn't any different. Just another prospective client.  
  
Usagi sighed. What her brain tried to convince her of sometimes still- astounded Usagi. She knew this would never work... there was too much personal involvement and plus Usagi couldn't get a word out without hesitation or worry that maybe something she would say would trigger recognition.  
  
She knew she should have, once again, gone with her gut instinct instead of listening to her heart's pleads and her mind's supposed intellectual argument that Mina would never figure it out, she had changed too much, or she'd never figure out who Usagi was, she was, after all a bit thickheaded at times.  
  
To both women's relief, the same waiter approached them with their waters and flipped to a new page, poised to take their orders.  
  
Usagi glanced at the door; it's openness and freedom, away from here called to her, its wide open door appealed to Usagi's every sense... she could feel every voice inside of her, heart, mind, gut instinct combine together and chant the same mantra until she could hear nothing else:  
  
Go, go, go...  
  
Usagi bit her lip and inhaled deeply as she furrowed her brows together and looked at Mina, who was most probably already piecing together the pieces in her mind and on the verge of breaking the lock to her secret.  
  
"...and can my salad have light Italian dressing on it, too? Sorry about the trouble and misunderstanding about the salad." She handed him her menu.  
  
The waiter, who Usagi admitted was pretty good-looking, with his short, blond curly tuffs of hair, rich brown eyes, winked at Minako flirtatiously. "Ah, for someone as beautiful as you, I..."  
  
Usagi tuned the two of them out and smiled, the waiter's looks and obvious mellow and playful nature reminded her so much of Motoki.  
  
Motoki. Usagi chewed on her inside cheek as the image of Motoki popped into her mind. God, she could use a friendly face... someone who wouldn't grill her with questions or judge her by her past decisions. "And you? Miss?" Usagi snapped out of her reverie when she realized that the waiter and Mina were both staring at her.  
  
Usagi closed the menu and set it softly on the table. She really wanted to see Motoki, but she couldn't possibly be in two places at once... so there was only one solution to this entire debacle. In a way, Usagi rationed, I'm saving both of us the misery of having to sit through an entire awkward dinner...  
  
She glanced between the two of them, questioning looks hovering in their eyes. "Actually," she began, with a sheepish laugh, "I have to be on my out." She nodded her head in the direction of the door.  
  
Mina's mouth opened, but quickly closed when Usagi stood up. "It was lovely meeting you, Minako, I hope you decide to stay with our company, and I'm sorry I can't stay any longer to discuss the terms or whatever, but I've really got to go. I've just remembered that I forgot all about this important thing back... at the—office that requires my immediate attention." She made a vague wave, as if she was helpless to the ways of life.  
  
"Um, okay, well, I guess I'll call your assistant or something to schedule another meeting." Mina stammered, caught off guard by Usagi's sudden departure.  
  
The waiter stood back some, as if gauging to see if it was safe yet to speak. "Shall I...?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry about dinner, Mina, just put it on my tab." She started to shrug her blazer on. "Consider it my apology for leaving on such short notice."  
  
With those last words, Usagi swept up and left the restaurant, leaving a confused and slightly flustered Minako behind.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
The moment Usagi walked through the automatic glass doors, she was greeted by the familiar sight of Motoki wiping down the counters, utterly focused on his job at hand.  
  
It reminded her too much of when she had been fourteen and crushing on Motoki. She let a ghost of a smile play at her lips. Ha. Not much had changed since then; the only thing being that she wasn't wrapped up in Mamoru or being badgered twenty-four-seven by her mother about her failing grades.  
  
"Motoki." She breathed as she approached him, a faint blush staining her cheeks.  
  
To Usagi's much surprise, he looked up. "Usagi!" he beamed, dropped the rag on the counter. He pressed the inside of his palms against the counter that he had probably tenaciously been wiping at for the past hour or so and gave her a bright smile, his eyes crinkled and sparkled when he spoke. "I didn't expect to see you here."  
  
"Yeah, I didn't expect to be here, either." Usagi sat herself on the stool that she had sat on so many times before, idly sipping her milkshake, daydreaming about everything to nothing. "I was at a meeting with... Mina and I completely freaked." Usagi left out the fact that coming here, to see him, had been apart of the force that had propelled her to leave.  
  
That would be admitting... that would hold meanings that she had yet to reveal...  
  
"Oh? Are you okay?" He stroked her arm in concern, but even Usagi could see how his eyes darkened with emotions. He quickly retracted his hand, he was unsure of whether he should touch her or not. "Did Mina... know anything?"  
  
Usagi shrugged tiredly. "I don't know if she knew anything, but I wasn't willing to stay around to find out."  
  
"You've been through a lot during these past few days. Are you sure you can handle all of this stress on top of work?" He asked her, worriedly. "You've got that line to still do, right?"  
  
Usagi groaned as she slammed her head against the countertop. "I don't know anymore, Motoki. It seems that matters concerning my heart are going to have to take a backseat as my job seems to becoming more and more stressful these days."  
  
Motoki nodded, but his eyes were clouded with an emotion that Usagi couldn't quite read. "Motoki, what's wrong?"  
  
Motoki looked at her with the look of a five-year-old caught sneaking a cookie. "Usagi, you need to know something."  
  
Usagi's breath quickened as she searched her mind for what he possibly needed to tell her. There was only one thing that she could think of that was plausible enough...  
  
"Mamoru and Rei..." he paused, making sure that Usagi understood the depth of what he was going to tell her, "are getting married. Next month."  
  
Usagi felt the blood rush her held all at once. This was definitely not one of her scenarios. "Oh my God, I think that I've just had a stroke... or I'm going to faint..."  
  
Motoki gently led her to the backroom where there was a ratty looking couch with its upholstery ripped up and the seams coming undone on the sides and sat her down on it. Usagi barely registered that she was in a different room, much less that Motoki had handed her a steamy cup of hot chocolate.  
  
"Compliments of the chef." He weakly joked, trying to help the color return to her waxen cheeks.  
  
Usagi stared into the cup, fascinated by its liquid contents as she avoided eye contact with him. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"  
  
Motoki scratched the back of his head vigorously. "Well, you had so much on your mind and I don't know... I just couldn't hurt you like that." He stared at her with such intensity that Usagi had to look away. "I knew that it would hurt your heart would break if I told you because I know that despite everything that's happened you do still care."  
  
Usagi softened at his words. How was it that he could read her so well and say the exact right thing? "Yeah, I guess." Usagi mumbled.  
  
Motoki gave her a lopsided smile that melted Usagi's insides. "So you're not mad?"  
  
Being angry with Motoki was one thing; staying mad was another. Usagi sighed in defeat. She was fighting a lost battle. "No, I guess not." She narrowed her eyes and stuck her hand out towards him. His eyes glanced from her hand to her face in confusion. "Promise me that whenever you find out something important, you'll tell me."  
  
Motoki wavered. "But..."  
  
"No buts in this Motoki. I need to know everything that happens. I don't want you to spare my feelings, however horrible it may be." She looked away. "It's really my only connection with them."  
  
Motoki reached for her, but hesitated and pulled back. He wanted to just hold her, just the chance to touch her, but she wasn't his to touch... she wasn't ready for love yet...  
  
But what if she is? His mind whispered, conjuring images and fantasies that sent surges of arousal throughout him. What if she wants you and is waiting to make sure you love her the same? She must be cautious after what happened with Mamoru...  
  
Motoki tried shaking himself of the thoughts that haunted him with fantasies that weren't possible... there was just too much pain, even five years later. It was too complicated. He would wait, he promised himself. He would wait.  
  
Usagi touched Motoki's knee tenderly, sending a jolt of shock through him. "Motoki, I'm not going to break, you needn't be afraid to touch me."  
  
Motoki's eyes darkened with desire. "You want...?"  
  
Usagi's spontaneous show of emotion was just as much of a surprise to her as it was to Motoki. After a moment, Usagi moved her hand from his knee to beside her thigh to finally rest atop of Motoki's larger hand. "Thank you for what you've done for me."  
  
With his free hand, Motoki cradled the side of her face as he started into her eyes gently, her smoky blue crashed with his Mediterranean blue-green depths.  
  
Usagi felt her lips pucker in anticipation, waiting; she let herself slowly sink into the warmth of his eyes, "Motoki—I..."  
  
The sound of her voice, throaty and husky with emotion loosened the inward leash that Motoki was fighting to hold. "Usagi, just..." He couldn't finish, he leaned in towards her as his fingers curled into the soft flesh of her neck, dipping his head, Motoki softly caught Usagi's lips between his teeth, sucking slowly, he felt her breathe a small sigh of content as she reveled in the moment of touching.  
  
Desire flared in the pit of Usagi's stomach as their kisses turned from slow and became more demanding, more heated, as if neither of them could get enough of the other, drunk by the taste of each other.  
  
Pulling away, Usagi stared at him, flushed and dazed, her lips swollen from his kisses. She felt his hand tighten on hers, as she stood up in a stupor. "I've really got to go..."  
  
"Usagi," Motoki called softly, his voice rough with emotion. "Please just stay and listen to..."  
  
Usagi couldn't, she couldn't stay; she couldn't listen. Usagi was struggling to stay afloat on a fast sinking boat. Instead of responding, and risking him persuading her to stay, she left him, blunting ignoring his pleads for her to come back.  
  
She had to ignore him or she'd never find the strength within her to leave.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mamoru slammed his hand on the coffee table as familiar sensations overcame him once more. It was so strange; he hadn't felt so strongly about something, at least not since...  
  
...She had left.  
  
Mamoru shuddered. Sometimes his ability to feel someone's aura and their feelings seemed to be more of a burden rather than a gift. If they were near, perhaps within the same city or a little further, that was close enough for Mamoru. Even then their mental waves felt like blows to his head if they were a few blocks away.  
  
He felt as if he could simply reach out and touch her radiating essence... but how? Could it be...?  
  
Mamoru paced back and forth, his frustration mounting with each step he took. No, it couldn't be. She'd been gone for five years already. Why return now? Mamoru suddenly stood still, his mind closing fast on a thought. But if she was back, however unlikely that it may be, then...  
  
Mamoru rubbed his face in exhaustion before grabbing his keys and jacket. His endless stream of thoughts and assumptions were tiring him out, especially since he had no one to confide in. Telling Rei was completely out of the question; he knew that she would absolutely freak out if he gave her the slightest reason of his worry and it wasn't like he could talk to Motoki...  
  
Lately, Motoki had been colder and more closed off towards him. There were many reasons that explained it, Mamoru was sure, but only one of those reasons intrigued him enough that Mamoru figured that paying his long-time friend, Motoki, a visit was worth a try and better than him pacing a hole in his apartment floor while trying to come up with a plausible cause for why he couldn't get the feelings of Usagi's distinct pain to leave him.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- 


	5. Chapter Three

She's Back... - Chapter Three  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
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As you've noticed, I've changed a lot of the things that happened, but they will lead up to the same events that have happened in the previous version of "She's Back" so don't think that I'm completely altering the plot or anything! Usagi will feel the same about everything that she has before—confused and completely lost!—but it's just that I'm changing how she goes about finding out her feelings and I'm just improving the plot and making things more realistic, I guess.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi only made it as far as past the counter before Motoki grabbed her hand firmly and slowly turned her around to face him. "Usagi!"  
  
Usagi's eyes were watery with unshed tears. Motoki's heart melted at her look of such vulnerability. "Usagi, please just... please don't run off. Stay, will ya?"  
  
Usagi shook her head; she avoided eye contact with him at all costs. "I can't, Motoki. I need to go. I wasn't lying to Mina when I told her that I had a lot of things to still do."  
  
"I understand that. But are they really that imperative that you need to run off from the man that you just shared this... amazing kiss with?"  
  
"Motoki..." A voice hollered from a few feet behind Usagi. He was so close to her that she was sure she could feel his heavy, warm breath on the back of her neck.  
  
Usagi whipped around, her eyes widened in a combination of horror and surprise. Oh, shit... Usagi froze as she instantly recognized the voice and the face. How could she not? He was her ex-lover, ex-soul mate, ex- everything to her. Mamoru. Usagi shot Motoki a panicked look and edged closer towards him.  
  
Why had she been so careless? Of course Mamoru or any of her friends would come to the arcade. Maybe not in the purpose of finding her, but it was a strong probability that they would come here.  
  
Motoki's hand unconsciously touched her shoulder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.  
  
Usagi despised herself, her heart mostly, for softening at the familiar sight of his ebony hair that he would affectionately ruffle whenever he was nervous and at the single glimpse of his soulful cobalt depths that still held that alluring, haunted gleam, Usagi felt that idiotic cardiovascular muscle also known as her heart pick up and thud unnaturally quickly against her ribcage.  
  
His unquestionably handsome, chiseled features made Usagi's stomach knot together in a ball of nervousness, dread, and actual desire in seeing him. What was she, fourteen? "Ummm..." Usagi trailed off, what exactly were you supposed to say to your ex-boyfriend who cheated on you with your ex-best friend?  
  
"Mamoru, what's up?" Motoki casually asked as he slipped behind the counter and smoothly poured him a cup of coffee while passing it down to Mamoru in one fluent movement.  
  
"Nothing much." Mamoru shot Motoki a sly look and glanced at Usagi with a curious, guarded look. "But I see that you've been pretty busy."  
  
Motoki blushed furiously. "God, you ass, what were you doing spying on—"  
  
Mamoru clapped him on the shoulder. "Chill, my man. I was just kidding around with you, Motoki."  
  
Usagi lowered her eyes in embarrassment. He had heard them talking? He knew that she and Motoki had been, to put it bluntly, making out in the backroom and now he was teasing him about it?  
  
She must have been thrown back into the past because she felt like an awkward fourteen year old all over again, with Mamoru teasing Motoki and her as Usagi stood to the side with an uncomfortable smile plastered across to her face.  
  
Motoki leaned closer to him and snuck a glance at Usagi. Her face was sickly white and her eyes were wide and had the deer-caught-in-headlights look. This promised to be interesting. "Yeah... so is there something I can do for you, buddy? Something you wanted to talk about? With me?" He added inconspicuously, but he could tell Usagi had caught it as she looked at him with an amused smile. Mamoru wouldn't stop staring at her every five seconds it seemed. Did he know who she was?  
  
How could he have figured it out so quickly if he did know? Motoki mused silently. He's always seemed a bit more in tune with his inner self; he's always been the type to just know things about people.  
  
Motoki just hoped that this one time he would prove to be wrong. But if he had hit close to home... Motoki would have to find a way to get rid of Mamoru before he did fully piece together the puzzle. "I just wanted to talk to you about her." Mamoru emphasized his words wholly, making sure that Usagi heard the great importance behind the meaning of whom he was speaking of.  
  
Motoki noted on how poorly Mamoru was trying to implement his curiosity on who Usagi was. Well, Motoki wasn't about to be the one to enlighten him.  
  
Motoki raised his brow in mild amusement. "Yeah? What about her?" he looked at Mamoru critically. "Are you sure this is the... well, time to talk about this?"  
  
Motoki heard Usagi softly suck in her breath. Mamoru's intense gaze penetrated Motoki down to his very core. "Um, yeah. You're right, this probably isn't the time to talk about this." He glanced at Usagi from the corner of his eye and gestured vaguely in her direction. "I can see that I seemed to have interrupted something." He finished lamely after looking over at Usagi for the hundredth time.  
  
Motoki could've sworn Mamoru's cheeks had become a pinkish color. Was it possible that Mamoru Chiba, intimidating, Mr. Leave-Me-the-Hell-Alone was actually blushing? This had proved to be more interesting than Motoki would have formerly thought... "Are you sure, man?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, definitely." Mamoru forced himself to laugh. "I just wanted to see you, you know? We haven't kept in touch in so long that I just wanted to visit you and catch up on a few... things."  
  
Or people, Usagi thought bitterly, her eyes burning holes into his chest. Ha. If only I was so lucky.  
  
Motoki pretended that a fourth of what Mamoru was saying actually made sense and to play along to Mamoru's odd, disbelieving game. "Okay, yeah, I'm glad you did stop by. Despite that you did seem to catch me in a bit of a compromising position." He motioned his head, ever so slightly; to Usagi that almost she didn't see it.  
  
God, why did they keep on referring to her as if she was a freaking whore that Motoki had been discovered seeing? She decided to play up to the role that had been forcedly handed to her. "Well, Motoki," Usagi purred, giving him, what she hoped, to be something resembling sultry. "don't you have to get back to... work?" she asked innocently, implying more than just working in the arcade.  
  
Usagi fought to suppress the laughter that bubbled up within her at the look of shock written across faces of both of the men. It was Motoki's turn to become flustered and a fumbling twelve-year-old. "Well..."  
  
Mamoru looked Usagi in the eye, well close to it. "I—I—didn't know—that you—"  
  
"Not many people know, Mr. Chiba." Usagi fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. She was so overdoing her act... but she couldn't help enjoying herself, for once, in the process! "Not many."  
  
Then her enjoyment evaporated when she realized her mistake along with Mamoru and Motoki. Mamoru looked at her suspiciously as the wheels in his head began to turn. "I never told you my last name..."  
  
Motoki, who seemed to have taken on the role as the hero who saved the damsel from distress, stepped in. "Mamoru. Now come on. You've got to go, remember?"  
  
"Right..."  
  
"So, it was nice seeing you, but like Us—you heard, I've got to get back to work." He said, correcting his close mistake.  
  
Mamoru nodded to each of them, although his look lingered on Usagi before he rushed out, his deep green jacket flapping behind him.  
  
Usagi let her already trembling legs buckle beneath her as she collapsed into the booth. She realized that she had been holding her breath when she had been waiting for Mamoru to disappear from sight. She felt a bit light headed and dizzy... maybe holding her breath hadn't been the best thing to do...  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"What do you think?" She began picking at the all ready ripped up upholstery with vehemence as she channeled her frustration into the poor booth's cushion.  
  
"Yeah, stupid question, I'm sorry..."  
  
"Do you think that he realized it was me?" Usagi asked as she laid her hand over her forehead in mental exhaustion.  
  
Honestly, maybe. "No, no, I don't think so." Motoki lied, but only to spare her. He had already broken his first promise that he had made to her...  
  
"I can't believe that... I just can't believe seeing him for the first time in five years." Her eyes shimmered with an emotion Motoki couldn't recognize. "It was unreal. It was completely unreal and nerve-wracking at the same time. I couldn't even speak, I was so petrified he may figure out it was me. It was like being with Mina only multiplied by a hundred- thousand."  
  
Truthfully, Usagi was a bit disappointed in Mamoru's ability to recognize his past lover, the woman that he had shared a love with that had spanned over a thousand years. Not that she wanted him to realize who she was, but still, was she that forgettable? Had she and him not put in some quality time together before the unfathomable happened?  
  
"Mmm-hmm." Motoki murmured, pre-occupied. He knew of Usagi's forgiving and loving nature. He couldn't help but to hope that Mamoru wouldn't recognize or find out about Usagi's reappearance until he and she had... committed to each other fully. He knew his wish was selfish, but he worried that if Mamoru was persuasive enough and if Mamoru changed his mind about Rei, which he could be prone to do and was known for doing, he could sway Usagi to come back to him.  
  
That worried him more than anything. He had a chance with her, an actual chance! He had watched from afar as Mamoru had stole Usagi's young heart and trampled it countless times, and yet, Usagi would always go back to him, her pain forgotten the moment that they were together and in love.  
  
It won't happen again. The past won't repeat itself, Motoki promised himself. He would love Usagi more than Mamoru could ever hope to!  
  
Usagi placed her hand on top of Motoki's comfortingly. Motoki stared at it with fascination as he came back from his thoughts. Her hand was so much smaller and more delicate than his would ever be, with artistically slender fingers, and unlike his, they weren't callused and rough, but soft and smooth. Her grip wasn't exactly girlish either, Mamoru noticed as her fingers tensed.  
  
He knew that her hands weren't the sexiest part of her body... but it was the way they felt and how she touched him that made the moment so intimate and made a flicker of hope that he had a chance with her...  
  
It only strengthened his promise to himself that he would earn Usagi's love and unlike Mamoru, he wouldn't crush her heart a million times in order to satisfy his insecurities about her love for him.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Mamoru," Makoto began airily, "fancy meeting you here." Makoto remarked sarcastically as she quickened her pace to catch up beside him. She didn't want to lag behind and miss a single opportunity to cut him down to pieces.  
  
"It's is odd, isn't it? Seeing people walk down sidewalks that happen to lead to their apartments." He quipped dryly. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her, his mind still lingered on the "mystery" girl that had practically been hanging all over Motoki.  
  
He didn't know why couldn't get his mind off either of them. Mostly that girl. She was more than beautiful and mysterious, that secret woman that Motoki has obviously been seeing; she intrigued him... she reminded him of an old flame and Mamoru couldn't be sure, but somehow he just knew that it had to be her... Mamoru groaned quietly in frustration. But it made no sense, none at all...  
  
"Awww, why so glum? Something wrong? Did you and Rei call off the wedding?" Makoto didn't bother to disguise her hopefulness too well.  
  
"I'm so thankful for your gleeful concern." Mamoru said icily as he speeded up, trying to lose Makoto in the crowd. "Unfortunately for you, no."  
  
He had no such luck in trying to lose her. He should have known better, Makoto could definitely give him a run for his money if they raced. "How long has it been now, Mamoru? I'll remind you, it's been five years, as I've been keeping count. Have you?"  
  
"Every single minute I think about how Usagi would still be here if you and Rei hadn't slept together. Every second I think about how much she has suffered and how much she must be hurting right this second. I keep thin—"  
  
"Are you getting up to some sort of point or a moral of this twisted story?" Mamoru asked as his eyes flashed violently. He had to find a way to get rid of her. He looked over his shoulder at the arcade that was quickly growing smaller and smaller, he wanted to go back and see the woman again, to reassure himself that he was being absolutely stupid and she wasn't... wasn't... back.  
  
Makoto smiled sardonically, she was taking obvious pleasure from his irritation. "Nope. Just for your benefit, I'm reminding you that you are a lying, cheating, idiotic, selfish bastard who deserves to burn in hell for the rest of your natural and afterlife."  
  
"Thank you for your input on what my fate should be, but thankfully, it won't be up to you when the decision is made on my what my destiny is meant to be."  
  
"This could have all been avoided, Mamoru. If you had just ignored your manhood's"—she snickered—"or rather lack thereof, call to have sex and cheat on your soul mate, who you were in fact supposed to be destined to love and rule alongside with in the future." She glared at him with angry, accusing eyes, "But all of that is gone. Did you even think of Chibi-Usa? Of how she probably no longer even exists anymore? Did you think of how your choices doesn't just affect you, but it affects the existence and futures of others—"  
  
"Makoto, I'm very close to hurting you. In about five seconds I'm going to go against my policy of hurting the female race—"  
  
"—That's funny, really, because you didn't seem to think that when you slept with Rei and destroyed, absolutely broke, Usagi—"  
  
"—Physically, physically hurting women."  
  
Makoto turned her face to the heavens above and raised her upturned palms to the skies above. "Oh good! I'm so relieved, Mamoru! You have morals, how wonderful!"  
  
Mamoru's mouth clenched in frustration as her hateful, spiteful words reverberated in his mind. "I do have morals, Makoto. It was a lapse of better judgment to cheat on Usagi and I regret the pain that I've burdened her with, but what seemed to be a mistake was also a blessing."  
  
Makoto nodded. "Of course Rei was a gift to you. She was the only thing that you had left."  
  
Mamoru knew that her words held truth, but he couldn't help but to wish that she was an enemy or a guy at least, so that he could rip her head off or at least twist her arm or something to get her to shut up. "You're wrong. I love Rei. You have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
Makoto was in his face so fast, that Mamoru stumbled backwards, surprised. "You shouldn't even be allowed to say those words that are meant for true lovers. They aren't meant to be thrown around carelessly and they sure as hell aren't for two people who were intending to have a one night stand that they planned on telling no one about."  
  
Mamoru glowered at her. "I wasn't going to keep it from Usagi. I was going to tell her because after it happened... I knew I couldn't keep it from her... it wouldn't be fair. Even I realized that."  
  
"Mamoru, your little heartfelt lies means nothing to me. That's the biggest load of crap that I've ever heard; you were going to tell her like the good boyfriend that you were." Makoto spat angrily. What started as enjoyable torture had suddenly become chillingly serious and a tidal wave of memories. Memories of her friend that had disappeared years ago, but felt just as alive to Makoto...  
  
"You know what? I think that after Usagi left and you figured out that she wasn't coming back to you, as you originally expected, you knew that she was the only person who could anchor you from the darkness and when you saw that with her gone, you having no one else, and since hell would freeze over before we comforted you or Rei, the smartest plan would be to stick with Rei because, well, she's the only thing left that stood between you and loneliness once again."  
  
Mamoru turned away from her; he refused to let her see how his cheeks had suddenly become flushed with humiliation. He realized with scorn that she was partially right about his fear to be alone, but she was wrong about one thing, he loved Rei. No matter what she said in her angry display of defense for Usagi.  
  
Makoto brushed past him, but on second thought, turned around and gave him an icy, half-hearted smirk. She was still recovering from the sudden emotions that flooded into her. "Are you going to that festival tonight? I'm pretty sure that the girls are." Her eyes lit up in mock-exuberance. "Maybe you could cheat on Rei and finish with your little plan to sleep with all the scouts! You got two out of five so far, right? You might even manage to send Rei away too! Wouldn't be that bad, would it? To send her away? It's not like you had sex with yourself, and sent Usagi away all on your own, right? Takes two to tango."  
  
Mamoru glared at her. "Makoto, you..." he stopped himself; she was too far off to hear him anyway. Mamoru spun on his heel and continued in the opposite direction of both the arcade and Makoto. He didn't think that he'd be able to handle talking to Motoki or that... girl, even if he was in the right state of mind and not fuming from having a heated conversation with the formidable, Amazon-woman, Makoto.  
  
Makoto had succeeded in her mission by leaving Mamoru behind in a pile of guilt, anger, and the most complicated feeling of all, confusion.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mina slowly dragged herself back to her apartment building. She had gotten a call from Ami earlier, inviting her to the festival that was taking place tonight, to support Motoki because he was running a booth and a big contributing part in the festival and to the church itself.  
  
She said that she would think about it. And that was what she would do, on top of everything else that she was obligated to think about and find a solution or answer to.  
  
But Ami's invite wasn't exactly on her mind at the moment. It was more of that strange woman who she was supposed to meet at the restaurant and discuss her modeling career with.  
  
She had just upped and left so much without a backward glance or a second thought on how that would look to Mina. "She couldn't get away from me fast enough." Mina muttered to herself.  
  
However, not even that, the fact that Mina had been so unappealing to dine with that that "Serena woman" had to practically run away, was what was on Mina's mind. In fact, that seemed to be one of the many other thoughts that were furthest from her mind's eye.  
  
{AN: Right now, while I'm in Mina's thoughts, she refers to Usagi as Serena because that's how she knows her as. When she realizes the truth, then Mina will revert from calling Serena to Usagi.}  
  
No, it was the waves of nostalgia that kept on rolling over her whenever she thought of Serena or even when the sheer image of Serena popped in Mina's mind, Mina would shiver as unrecognizable emotions flooded in her chest, inflated within her like an oversized balloon.  
  
What was happening to her? Why was this all coming back? Mina threw her purse down in a fit of rage and frustration. Why was hope, hope that had deflated and left her years ago, suddenly blooming and more vibrant than it had ever been before? Mina hated to be so vulnerable, to be so incapable to control her own feelings.  
  
Mina sagged as she approached an unoccupied bench. She sank into it, emotionally and mentally drained from just the past few hours. But even Mina could see that it was more than that. That the past few hours wasn't what was really draining her, it was only the tip of the ice-burg, it was only the final straw that broke the camel's back.  
  
The past five years was what was really killing Mina inside, slowly tearing her apart at the seams until she would completely unravel into the mess that she truly was. Mina looked upward as if searching the skies for some sort of miraculous answer to her questions that hadn't been answered in five entire years. She may have known the facts, but did she truly know anything? She hadn't been there to comfort Usagi with her pain; she hadn't been there with Usagi to fully explore the reasoning behind Mamoru's actions; she hadn't been able to bitch out Rei with Usagi; or even have Usagi, with her compassionate heart, try to convince them to listen to Rei's side and not forgive her, but at least try to understand what and how it had happened.  
  
Mina sniffed. But she couldn't. Mina could never get back that time with Usagi and there was a strong possibility that Mina would never have the opportunity to share another moment with Usagi ever again and that fact hurt more than anything. Even more than the fact that Usagi had felt that she couldn't confide in Mina or at least stayed long enough to say some sort of good-bye or just something...  
  
And what was more ironically funny was that she still didn't know the whole story. Only that Mamoru had cheated on Usagi with Rei, and Usagi had run, she had run to God only knows where, probably America or somewhere far, far from here, away from the reminders of pain, away from—  
  
Mina sat straight up as her thoughts came to a screeching halt. What—? She struggled to understand the inner workings of her mind, to comprehend why her heart was speeding up and chills of delight were—  
  
Oh my gawd, Mina thought as she made the connections. Serena. Usagi. America. It didn't add up, yet it did. Mina was only vaguely familiar with Serena Kingsley's background. What was so astounding about Serena was that she was this sudden hit that came out of nowhere, no previous affiliations with any other companies, she only had a bachelor's degree with minors in fashion designing, everyone in America called her the "Cinderella story" because of her amazing way with luck. And five years after her incredible debut, she's one of most demanded designer in the business.  
  
Usagi had run, probably America or somewhere far, far from here, away from the reminders of pain... And Mina's earlier thoughts nailed the spot, where better and further from Tokyo to run than halfway across the globe to the "land of opportunity" where Usagi might have an actual chance at another life?  
  
Mina clapped her hand over her mouth as everything pieced together and what this would mean. Could it be...? Could Mina dare to hope that Serena was really her long-time missed friend, Usagi?  
  
And even more than that, could she even fathom the idea that Usagi was... back?  
  
Mina jumped up, slung the same purse that she had slammed into the ground, but was now clutching with a heart brimming with sudden hope and... a feeling where she felt complete. Totally and utterly complete.  
  
All she had left to do was to find her friends and tell them and to...  
  
...And to find Usagi and hug her, but only after hitting her over the head for leaving for five years and not even sending so much of a letter as to explain what was truth and what wasn't behind the entire romance scandal with the hot new model, Juan Dela Cruz!  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Miss? Miss? Please, it's only two dollars and fifty cents—surely you can manage to spare just two dollars and a half. Surely you can." The vendor prodded as he held out the cone of cotton candy close enough to Usagi that she could smell it's sweet scent, but just far away enough that she couldn't quite take it for her own.  
  
Usagi sighed audibly, but her taste buds were already perking up and she could already taste the sugar melting on her tongue... man, she had such a soft heart for anything sweet.  
  
He had won her over. Usagi forked over the money and unwrapped the plastic around the candy. Peeling some off, she closed her eyes in bliss as it dissolved in her mouth after a few seconds.  
  
She let herself sink into the taste of the cotton candy, somehow food had that affect on her, and it always had, before she returned to the reality of her life.  
  
For a few seconds, Usagi forgot about her life, she forgot about the lies that she was leading, that her supposed soul mate had went against every rule of dating and trust and slept with her best friend. Ah. Almost.  
  
Suddenly her cotton candy wasn't as appetizing as it had been earlier. In fact, the very mention of food seemed to make Usagi sick to her stomach. "Miss, can you—"  
  
Usagi sharply turned around and gave the vendor a dark look before stalking off. The vendor stared at her in surprise as she pitched the treat into the trashcan beside her venomously. The vendor shook his head in confusion; their cotton candy couldn't possibly have tasted that bad.  
  
Usagi wondered for the millionth time it seemed, why the hell she was even here. Usagi sighed as a single reason came to mind and made all the other motivations for her to leave suddenly become dull.  
  
Motoki. He had asked her to come here and stay until his shift was over so that they could talk things over. And despite the fact that her heart was traveling in two different directions and that her heart was dividing among itself, she had complied and come anyway.  
  
Motoki deserved the chance to speak to her, even though she was still reeling from the near confrontation with Mamoru. It had hurt so bad to see him, but at the same time it relieved her, it helped ease the pain that had been following her around like a sad, lost puppy. But then seeing him made her shake with such an anger, such a need to release the rage that fills her, that it was almost physically impossible to be around him without feeling that hurt.  
  
Turning around, all thoughts vanished from her mind as she drew up a blank on what to say or do.  
  
Usagi found herself standing almost in direct view of her two friends, Ami and Makoto. Seeing Makoto and Ami, standing there together, talking and chatting, sent a sharp stab into her heart. I could be there with them, if only...  
  
But that was all her life led up to wasn't it? If onlys...  
  
Ami caught her eye and vainly tried to distract Makoto from seeing her.  
  
Too late, Usagi realized miserably. Makoto had already spotted her and only moments after just seeing her face, she was making a beeline straight towards her.  
  
Had Makoto found out Usagi in the most awful, unforgivable way?  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Makoto, wait! Please—just let me—I know it may look weird, but please... I can totally explain—and—and—don't do anything that would..." Ami tried unsuccessfully to pull back the stubborn brunette, but so far her attempts had no avail.  
  
"Ami, get off, God, I've been waiting nearly my entire life for this chance!" Makoto said as she pulled away from Ami's sweaty, slippery fingers. "And now you're trying to steal it from me! Thanks!"  
  
It was useless. Usagi was frozen in her spot and Makoto was nearly sprinting towards her full-force.  
  
And Ami had to stop this somehow, even if she died in the process.  
  
"Makoto!" Ami's voice reached all the way to Usagi. Ami was waving her arms around frantically, succeeding in looking like a madwoman. Ami ran to Makoto's side and began pulling at her arm, trying to tug her in the opposite direction.  
  
Usagi didn't have the faintest idea what to do. Half of her wanted to see Makoto and hug her, but the other half of her was scared to death, she had no idea why, but the only thing that she was sure of was that she couldn't face her friends now, she wasn't ready...  
  
Makoto shrugged her off and continued heading towards Usagi. Usagi's legs seemed to have rooted themselves on the spot, stubbornly refusing to move. Why couldn't she just turn around and run?  
  
Ami looked completely fed up. She ran her fingers through her hair before a new spark lit in her eyes. Usagi didn't entirely trust that look...  
  
Before Usagi could blink, Ami had reared up then charged into Makoto, successfully tackling her into the patch of grass beside them. Usagi stepped back as her hand flew to her throat in surprise at the scene that unfolded before her.  
  
Ami had tackled Makoto for her! "Go Ami," Usagi rooted in barely above a whisper. She had a look of utter guilt and disbelief, while Makoto was obviously furious and perhaps amazed by the usually timid and calm girl's sudden show of physical contact and choice of violence to get her point across. Usagi took that as her chance and began running, to where, she had no idea, but all she knew that her plan was up in smokes, she definitely wasn't ready for this shit, to hell with coming back...  
  
"You're running the wrong way!" Ami screamed to her. Usagi slowed as she let Ami's words comprehend. Oh damn, was she serious...? "You're running the wrong freaking way!"  
  
Usagi broke from her reverie and realized her mistake. She wasn't running away from them, she was, unbelievably, instead running towards them.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Ami"—Inhale, exhale... Ami's your friend...—"Do you mind getting the hell off of"—("I'm trying to!")—"Me?!"  
  
Ami slowly detangled herself from Makoto and fell back onto the grass and breathed deeply. Tackling Makoto had taken a lot more effort than she had counted on. That was odd, she thought that by multiplying the amount of force by her weight, then dividing that amount by Makoto's weight would have given her the...  
  
"Just wondering, but what were you trying to accomplish by tackling me?" Makoto demanded as she gave Ami a rather menacing look.  
  
"Well... to stop you..." Ami argued weakly. Ami's cheeks heated up as she began blushing furiously. "It was for your—I mean—her own good! She asked me and... and... you were going to—and... I just had to help because its my job—"  
  
Makoto's face radiated confusion. "What are you rambling on about?"  
  
"Ummm... I had to, Makoto, I know it may not make sense, but..."  
  
"What exactly is so terrible about the line for Rock 'n Roll finally being short enough that I can ride it without having to wait forever?" Makoto burst out, clearly angry about losing her potential spot in line. She pointed to the ride with the growing line that had been directly behind Usagi.  
  
Ami paled. "Oh."  
  
Makoto threw her hands up in the air, "Unbelievable. You nearly kill me, make me lose my spot in line, and ramble on about whatever, and I get this one-worded answer of, 'Oh.'"  
  
Ami wasn't concerned with Makoto anymore, however. From the corner of her eye, she could see Mamoru make his way over to Usagi, who had pulled a classic-Usagi by tripping over a crack in her two-inch heels, to see if she needed help.  
  
"Makoto, this may not be the best time... but can we just skip the angry, God-I-can't-believe-you part and go straight to making up?"  
  
Makoto gawked her, as if an alien right beneath her nose had suddenly abducted Ami. "Who are you and what the hell—"  
  
"I know, I'm acting totally out of character—"  
  
"I'll say, you—"  
  
After they felt that they had interrupted each other enough, Makoto finally let Ami speak. "So you're all right, Makoto?" Ami asked, unsure. She had made the biggest mistake and now on top of feeling every emotion that you can possibly feel, she felt completely idiotic for assuming the worst and actually tackling her own friend, and perhaps, taking a big part in giving Makoto a permanent concussion.  
  
"Yes, I'm just perky. Where had that come from anyway? Did you just, like, suddenly get the urge to tackle me or something?"  
  
Ami smiled weakly. Eh... it was something like that... "Well. Do you think we should greet our favorite people or let them come to us?" Ami asked sarcastically as she brushed the dirt off of her worn out jeans. She was desperate to find reasons to go over to them.  
  
Makoto nodded almost perceptibly. "Let them come to us. They might think we're being friendly if we approach them first." Makoto said, eyeing the couple with a great amount of dislike.  
  
Ami had seen Usagi talking to Rei and Mamoru and she was dying to know what they were talking about. Did Mamoru and Rei know about Usagi's true identity?  
  
Ami glanced at Makoto. She didn't seem to be keen on visiting Rei or Mamoru anytime soon, unfortunately for her. Which was just her luck, of course.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Hey? Are you okay?" Mamoru asked worriedly. He grabbed her hand and was startled by the sliver of electricity that shot up and down his arm and caused a blush to creep onto his cheeks.  
  
Usagi looked up and a twinge of heartache stabbed her heart when she stared into his turbulent, dark blue depths. How could he sound so sincere and caring, and yet be such a jerk and complete heartbreaker on every horrible level? "I'm fine."  
  
Mamoru recognized her from the arcade. It was Motoki's mystery girl... Mamoru narrowed his eyes, he intended to get to the bottom of this, right now, in fact—  
  
"Mamoru!" Rei screeched as she sauntered over to Mamoru and Usagi. "Are you okay?" She asked, this time in a lower voice.  
  
Usagi stiffened and felt her panic at the edge of her mind. Usagi forced a smile onto her lips. "Um, yeah. Thanks."  
  
Mamoru shivered and realized he was still holding her hand. He dropped her hand so fast; his hand burned from touching her ivory skin. "That's good." He wanted to confront this girl, ask her a few questions, such as: where and when had she met Motoki, out of curiosity, of course. But with Rei around, that would be impossible without sounding jealous and completely absurd.  
  
Which he wasn't. Jealous, that is.  
  
Usagi fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she could feel her body physically relax. "Yeah, I remember." Usagi looked over her shoulder and noticed Ami's face was ashen and Makoto looked positively livid.  
  
"Pretty wild, huh? What my friend, Ami did?" Rei piped up.  
  
Usagi nodded. "Yeah, that was unexpected." Usagi feigned surprise. "Is she always like that?"  
  
"No, usually she's really calm and not so... violent. Makoto looks so angry, Mamo-chan"—Please!—"Maybe, we should go over and help them."  
  
Usagi fought to keep the venom from seeping from her voice. "Maybe you should just leave them alone."  
  
"I beg your pardon?" Rei gaped at Usagi, who seemed to be this strange and now, rude newcomer.  
  
Usagi had to get a grip on her anger or it would get the better of her. She had worked so hard to keep her identity secret... to keep them from finding out who she truly was...  
  
"I—it looks like they don't need help. From you at least." Usagi said between gritted teeth.  
  
Rei gave her a suspicious look over, as if she was seeing something she hadn't noticed before. "What do you mean?"  
  
Usagi blew out her breath. Was she really this blind? "They've been giving you and Mamoru-san hostile looks all morning."  
  
The color drained from her face. "T—that's none of y—your concern."  
  
Usagi looked back over to Ami, who was staring at them with wide, questioning eyes.  
  
"So... you're okay now, right?" Mamoru asked; his hands were trembling. With rage? Guilt? Sadness? Usagi couldn't read him, not that she had ever been able to, in the first place.  
  
Usagi regarded Rei through narrow slits. "Right. Yes. I have to go, sorry."  
  
Usagi breathed a sigh of relief as she hurried away from the sweet couple.  
  
Seeing them together had caused a pang in her heart, she knew how safe and wonderful it felt to be in his embrace, how his dark eyes would glitter in the moonlight.  
  
But all of that was over. She knew how it felt to be in his arms, but obviously she didn't know how he truly felt or was thinking. Obviously she wasn't the type of girlfriend that could understand her boyfriend.  
  
Obviously she wasn't the type of girlfriend that fit Mamoru's credentials if she let a thousand-year love slip from between her fingers.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Ami studied Rei and Mamoru's expressions for a split second then shook her head. Either Mamoru knew or he always stared at people with such an intense gaze and Ami had missed it. Rei was clueless to anything that much was for sure, she'd never been good at masking her true feelings, because at the moment the only feelings her face conveyed was both annoyance and curiosity.  
  
"Doesn't seem like they're going to come over here, does it?" Makoto suddenly remarked. Ami looked at her taller, more muscular friend from the corner of her eye and realized that Makoto, too, was staring at Mamoru and Rei.  
  
They were both probably staring at the two for totally different reasons. In fact, Ami was sure of it. "Yeah, I guess." She glanced at Makoto again, hoping that she would suggest that they go over to them instead.  
  
Makoto sighed and motioned to Ami. "Oh, I guess we should go over there and get it over with, then."  
  
Ami silently cheered, although she masked her happiness as to avoid a suspicious conflict with Makoto. "Okay, but you've got to promise me that you won't be too mean to them. We're here to have fun." On second thought... Ami added, "Even if there are here and that ruins the entire point of having fun and coming in the first place.  
  
Makoto cackled, but Ami could tell that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Makoto's eyes were blazing with anger and loathing for the couple that had blown apart everything that they had shared as friends. After what had happened with Usagi... it was a complete understatement to say that Makoto hadn't thawed and forgiven the two of them in the least. Her dark feelings ran too deep and touched too many nerves, it seemed that the stubborn brunette had no intentions of being anything but uncaring and spiteful towards them.  
  
The nicest Makoto had been towards Rei and Mamoru was tolerating them during scout meetings and battling youmas. The rest of the girls, along with Ami, shared in Makoto's evil joy when they let whatever youma they were battling slap the two of them around a bit before jumping in and helping.  
  
Makoto began taking giant strides and in seconds they were only a few feet from the lonesome couple.  
  
Makoto grunted in their vague direction, brusquely refusing to meet either of their eyes.  
  
"Mamoru. Rei." Ami said, her voice equally cold and distant as Makoto's icy looks.  
  
"Ami! Makoto! What are you two doing here?" Rei said, forcing a smile onto her face and her voice to be excited and perky, when she was anything but.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe coming over here to be civilized when both of you deserve to be treated like dirt." Makoto deadpanned flatly.  
  
Rei's smile fell from her face. "Oh."  
  
"We came here to have fun, whatever else would there be to do here?" Ami asked sharply, causing Rei and Mamoru to flinch.  
  
"I guess I just..."  
  
"Are you two having fun?" Mamoru asked quietly, unable to meet either of their eyes.  
  
"We were until you two showed up." Makoto said hotly.  
  
Rei looked close to tears. "Ummm."  
  
"Well, if you just came over here to ridicule us, then we don't need—"  
  
"Oh, please, Mamoru-san." Makoto spat sarcastically. "Like we care what you need. We just came over here because we decided that maybe things would have changed, but since nothing evidently has, we're going to be leaving now." Makoto said, cutting off Mamoru. Makoto turned on her heel and began walking in the opposite direction.  
  
Rei watched Makoto's retreating back with sad, wistful eyes. "Okay." She whispered hoarsely, slightly taken back, although she should have been used to this type of treatment from Makoto already, since it was the only way she's been treating her and Mamoru for the past five years or so.  
  
Ami felt her heart soften a bit. "Whom were you talking to?" Ami asked, no longer shooting Mamoru and Rei death looks.  
  
"Just to this girl that Mamoru knows." Rei answered quickly, her cheeks turning a pinkish color.  
  
Ami turned to Mamoru; she hid the fear that crept into her voice well. "Oh? How so?"  
  
"Motoki. He was chatting with her when I approached them." Mamoru looked at her. "Why are you so curious anyway?"  
  
"Just trying to be friendly." Ami bit back. Mamoru nodded and stayed quiet, no longer interested in pissing off one of the only girls out of Usagi's entire group that was willing to speak to him.  
  
"So, Ami..." Rei coughed uncomfortably. "About my wedding..."  
  
Ami could feel her insides beginning to boil. "Oh, that's right. You two are getting married despite that—"  
  
"We know, Ami. We know." Mamoru said, giving her a pleading look.  
  
Like they had any right to need or plead for anything from her or anyone else for that matter. Besides, they weren't getting off that easy. "So. Who's this girl? Does she have a name?"  
  
Mamoru blushed further. Interesting. Mamoru blushing wasn't an everyday sight. "Actually, I don't know her name. She never told me it."  
  
"Smart girl." Ami said icily, her coldness returning.  
  
Rei looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. "I guess. But Ami, please—"  
  
"Do you like her, Mamoru?" Ami asked harshly.  
  
"She's okay..."  
  
"Why is she only 'okay?'"  
  
"What do you want from me, Ami?" Mamoru asked as he glared at her. "I met her for maybe five seconds and then I left. I didn't really speak to her because she was so busy batting her eyes at Motoki and trying to get him all hot and bothered—"  
  
"Well, she was a bit rude and started to talk about things that she had absolutely no idea about... I mean, how could she have..."  
  
Ami looked at Rei, surprised by her interjection. So Rei was starting to sense something was different about this "mystery girl." If only she knew...  
  
"She started to tell me to mind my own business before telling me that maybe you guys didn't need our help, especially from us. I mean, who does she think she is, saying all this crap about personal issues that she has nothing to do with and no knowledge whatsoever about?"  
  
Ami gave Rei a dirty look. "Maybe she knows more than you think."  
  
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Rei asked heatedly, frustrated by the lack of explanations and the growing confusion.  
  
"Maybe she isn't who you think she is." A voice suddenly spoke from behind Ami, who had stiffened with shock at the sound of the high-pitched, feminine voice.  
  
If she hadn't known any better, Mina could have passed off flawlessly for Usagi... evidently Rei and Mamoru thought the same thing, as they both had that far-away look of surprise on their faces.  
  
"Right Ami?" Mina asked, her eyes dancing in half-amusement and half- excitement.  
  
Ami realized that from the smug smile on Mina's face that Mina knew about Usagi's return, and apparently she had figured out that Ami knew, but that Mamoru and Rei were so thickheaded that they hadn't been able to piece it together yet.  
  
And she was enjoying every damn minute of it too.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- 


	6. Chapter Four

She's Back... - Chapter Four  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Ah, as you can see this version of "She's Back" is going to be much shorter because I'm actually going to put substance in my story and finish them properly before uploading it to the site.  
  
But nevertheless, enjoy and perhaps even review, okay? It's such a pleasure to read everyone's comments, both good and bad. :)  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mina glanced at Ami who had turned around and stared at Mina with shock and disbelief.  
  
Mina could read her expression easily. How could Mina—of all people—figure out Usagi's true identity and on top of that, actually keep it a secret?  
  
Mina smiled self-righteously as she deliberately took her time to hold each of their eyes, making sure that they knew she was serious. She wasn't as dumb as everyone pinned her to be.  
  
Rei shot her a confused look. "What the hell—who isn't—would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?"  
  
Mina shook her blond mass of hair. "I'm not telling you if you can't figure it out for yourself, Rei."  
  
Ami gave her a look of relief and admiration, thank you, her eyes shone brightly. Mina nodded imperceptibly; they had more than enough to talk about.  
  
Mamoru's forehead scrunched up in deep thought as his mind fought to put together Mina's strange underlying meanings...  
  
"I think that I've overstayed my time, so we'll be on our way." Ami said curtly before grabbing Mina's hand and dragging her towards the nearest booth.  
  
Ami grasped Mina's shoulders roughly; she was barely able to contain her excitement. "Spill. What do you know? How do you know this?"  
  
Mina smiled graciously. "After that weird meeting with 'Serena' for my modeling career and you calling and inviting me to come here, I was feeling pretty shitty. I was really down about Usagi leaving... it was like it was slowly killing me by taking its toll on my mind. But as I was thinking about her, things just started to click together and before I knew it, I was on my way here, psyched to tell you guys!"  
  
Ami nodded, alarmed. "Did you tell anyone because Usagi asked me—"  
  
"No, Ami let me finish." Mina's expression softened. "I overheard you talking to Rei and Mamoru and before I talked to anyone else, I had to talk to you. Plus, I couldn't skip out on an opportunity to get a shot at those two." She gave Rei and Mamoru a dirty look that Ami was confident they deserved.  
  
Ami squeezed her shoulders tightly and brought Mina closer and enveloped her in a hug. They both were grinning like fools, their hearts feeling much lighter and their moods happier than it had been in years.  
  
"She's back." Mina whispered into Ami's ear excitedly.  
  
Ami hugged her harder, her eyes filling with tears of joy. "She is."  
  
Mina pulled back slightly and looked at Ami. "How long have you known for?"  
  
Ami coughed as two spots appeared on her cheeks. "Before you had that meeting with her about your modeling career."  
  
"And you didn't tell us?" she hissed incredulously.  
  
Ami gulped, she had expected Mina to react like this. It was in her nature to be overly dramatic. "I was going to. God, I was so close, but Usagi had begged me not to tell anyone—not even you guys. I've never kept anything from you guys before and it was more than grating on my conscience and stress levels when I had to make that decision to lie and come up with that lame cover-up I used."  
  
Ami looked at Mina, hopefully. "You're not angry, are you? You understand what I had to do, don't you? Surely you understand that my loyalties will always be with Usagi and I will support and respect her wishes no matter what?"  
  
Mina sighed, but the accusing look in her eyes had disappeared. "Yeah, I understand completely and you know that."  
  
"Thank you for not getting angry with me."  
  
Mina looked at Ami sharply, her eyes flashing with determination and undaunted hope. "Ami, you have to tell me one thing, however."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Where is Usagi?"  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi kicked at a pebble. What would have happened if Makoto had caught up with her? How long until Rei figured out who she was?  
  
Tears began spilling onto her cheeks. She couldn't bear the raw pain and deny the unmistakable feeling of pleasure from seeing Mamoru's achingly beautiful face. When his fingers had brushed against hers, she couldn't have helped but to enjoy the way his fingertips swept over her hand and seemed to linger longer than necessary.  
  
Usagi squeezed her eyes shut and forced the thoughts to leave her mind. Why couldn't Mamoru leave her alone with his goddamn hands and his way of being able to summon feelings that she learned over the years to pack away and eventually, hopefully forget?  
  
Why did he have to invade her thoughts along with her entire life? Hadn't he done enough damage to her? Usagi moaned as she stepped into yet another puddle of stress. How could she even think of thinking about Mamoru when she still had Motoki tugging at strings of her heart?  
  
Usagi shook her head. It was wrong juggling two men like this, like some sort of siren, which she so obviously was anything but, she shouldn't be toying with Motoki's feelings so carelessly because she had yet to figure out what her own feelings were—  
  
In a mad frenzy, Usagi lashed out and struck the wall next to her with her foot, only succeeding in jamming her foot. In an addition to having a major case of heartache... she also has a throbbing foot.  
  
She didn't have a problem with two men because Mamoru was indefinitely out of her life—she never wanted him back!—and how could she call quelling her non-existent desire for him "juggling two me" anyhow?  
  
Poor Motoki, Usagi mused, he must be so confused and fed up with my flaky nature lately...  
  
"Why is everything going so wrong in my life?" Usagi shrieked to the empty skies above. She didn't expect an answer, but who knew... everything else that she had least expected to ever happen happened, so apparently nothing was impossible these days.  
  
Wasn't that what her mother told her wisely once? Never say never...  
  
"Am I one of those things that has gone wrong?" A deep, male voice asked her, a tinge of amusement laced in his words.  
  
Widening her eyes, Usagi spun around and breathed a sigh that was a combination of relief and horror. She was stupid, she had come here to speak to him... well to let him speak to her... obviously she would have to face him some time soon and let him on the big secret of what the hell was going on!  
  
Motoki raised a brow in delight. "So? Am I? Or did I go so terribly wrong that you can't even tell me."  
  
Usagi smiled. "No, I think you are one of the things that's actually gone right."  
  
He waggled his brows. "Now don't even think of sparing my feelings because I've seen what not knowing can do to you. I've been experiencing it first hand." He added, this time more softly and seriously.  
  
Usagi let out a sharp hiss of air. So he was going to get straight to his point like that, she should have known that Motoki, her Motoki, wouldn't circle around the issue. "I—I'm sorry, I—I don't mean to lead you on or anything like that, I'm just trying to figure out, like you, what the hell is going on..."  
  
The instant Motoki touched her, a flare of heat shot up his arm, and he saw an echo of it flash in her eyes, a mixture of arousal and uncertainty. He leaned back quickly; neither of them was ready for this... for this passion, for this love...  
  
Motoki became painfully conscious of how a permanent blush stained her cheeks and how her fingers nervously trembled when they touched his skin again. Just by the light whisper of her fingers grazing his skin, his stomach had clenched and his body had gone into a heated overdrive. "Usagi... are you...?" He growled, on the brink of losing the remainder of his self- control. There was only so long that he could contain himself, there was only so long before he would have to give in...  
  
"Motoki," Usagi said huskily, "I'm sure."  
  
Her shaky breath caressed his lips as she pulled him down; his mouth was soft on hers, a surprising gentle brush, Usagi felt herself melt into his arms shivers of pleasure bubbled inside of her.  
  
He broke off from her mouth, burying his face into her hair as if he were battling himself for control. As she stared at him, Usagi was stunned by the stark, dark need on his face.  
  
Motoki paused, soaking in her beauty. Her lips were swollen and red from his kiss, her breath was coming out in soft beats, her cheeks were flushed. He watched her lick her lips, parched and bruised from his kisses, her unrestrained passion had ignited something within him, something that he was fast losing to.  
  
"I... Usagi, we can't..." He wanted to push her away, tell her this was wrong, they were moving too fast, he wanted her to tell him she didn't want him, yet at the same time, he was sure he would shrivel up and die if she did...  
  
"Motoki, I..."  
  
"No, Usagi, we can't..." He tried to protest her arousal; that she was trying to seduce him, he tried to protest that she was playing unfairly and she had an advantage over him.  
  
Involuntarily she took a step closer to him and, in a blur of motion, he took her in his arms, his breath came out in quick bursts, caught between her will and his, his body began to quake in conflict. Her soft contours fit into his hard angles seamlessly and a wave of lust burned trough him. God, he wanted—he had to give in...  
  
His lips came down on hers in a kiss that was hard and full of demand, he felt Usagi's hands fumbled with the strap as she pulled it down far enough that it rested on her waist, revealing her bare body, letting the moonlight bathe her with it's unearthly glow. Motoki sucked in through his teeth roughly, how he wanted to touch her so badly, but she was unattainable by the likes of him, however long it may have been, she still belonged to Mamoru, who claimed to give up claim on her heart years ago, but it was clear that he still held it in his tight fist...  
  
"Motoki..." Usagi's voice broke from beneath his lips; her face was wet with tears. Her heart was so afraid of another to touch it... but this was Motoki, he wouldn't hurt her... and it wasn't even her heart, she was so unsure, especially after seeing Mamoru and feeling how her heart still managed to pick up it's pace and speed at the sight of him, sending sparks throughout her... it wasn't right, but then again, who was she to judge and say what was right and what wasn't?  
  
Throwing caution into the wind, Motoki crushed his lips against hers, letting his inner animalistic side roar inside of him with triumph as he strived to satisfy the need for her that had lodged itself inside of him. His lips came down on hers hard and she met them with equal force as she grabbed onto his shoulders, pulling herself against him, while his arms came around her.  
  
Her bare body was pressed against his hard one, the fabric between them served as a barrier that Motoki was more than willing to break down.  
  
Ripping his shirt open, they stumbled over to the grove of comforting shadows and together in a tumult of passion, angst, and torment...  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Makoto stuffed a mass of the warm pretzel in her mouth to keep from screaming out in complete boredom and in annoyance towards Ami, who had persuaded her to come in the first place after much pleading and begging, and Mina because they were hugging each other and giving each other looks as if they had discovered the cure to cancer.  
  
Why can't they come over here and celebrate whatever they're so excited about with me? Makoto wondered angrily. And along with that have some fun as well. What a friend!  
  
And that's why they came here in the first place, wasn't it? For them to have so much fun and to eat so much food that they'd have a spontaneous combustion?  
  
Makoto stared at them, puzzled. Why were they acting so happy anyway? What was there left to be so giddy about? Nothing, Makoto shook her head bitterly, there was nothing left.  
  
Well, she wasn't about to stand around here, moping and waiting for Ami to remember she even existed. She had better things to do... like getting away from this idiot-magnet to go somewhere where people who weren't so damn happy hung out.  
  
Makoto knew she was acting childish, but she pointedly swept past Ami and Minako and headed in the direction towards the parking lot, huffing the entire time about how flaky Ami seemed to becoming.  
  
Festivals, Makoto bristled, who needs them?  
  
Makoto shoved her hands into her pockets as she neared the area where she had parked her car. Her thoughts returned to her, however annoying they may be, they were the only companions she had at the moment. What was the point of Ami suddenly deciding, completely out of the blue, that tackling her was the best plan of action to solve whatever problem that she apparently had? And what was up with those pretzels they were selling there? They were like rubber and tasted like...  
  
"Oh... Motoki... please..."  
  
Makoto's heart nearly stopped for two reasons, first, where had she heard that voice from before and why had it struck such a nerve within her, and secondly, why was she groaning his name in out with that tone you only used when you were having—  
  
Oh my God. Oh. My. God, Makoto thought suddenly. That girl and Motoki were having sex! At a festival... behind a church, no less...  
  
She rolled her eyes as she reminded herself of Mina or even... Usagi.  
  
Makoto stopped walking and stood in her place for a moment, the only sounds she heard were the pounding of her heart and the crickets singing their mournful songs.  
  
Had she just imagined the whole thing? "Oh God! I—I..."  
  
Makoto jerked around and narrowed her eyes to slits. Where was that voice coming from? Not that she wanted to walk on in... on anything—and see anything, but that voice... it sent ice through her veins, but at the same time warmed her all over.  
  
It was throaty and loving at the same time. It soothed Makoto... just like Usagi's voice had so long ago...  
  
Whoa. Where had that come from? She hadn't thought about Usagi's characteristics in such an open and unconscious way in such a long time. Usually when her mind fell on anything remotely relating to her long-lost friend, she pulled all her mental energy together towards hating on Rei and Mamoru, blaming them for every single burnt pie, late rent fee, and any other mishap that had happened to her in the last five years. It may have been illogical and unfair, but what was fair about them being selfish and stupid enough to drive away their leader, their friend?  
  
Makoto ran her hand over her face a few times as she tried to regain control over her thoughts before they quickly became out of hand. "Motoki... I think that there's someone..." The girlish stammer trailed off, her breathlessness holding more invitation than rebuff.  
  
Makoto nervously plucked at her silver necklace that had been given to her by Usagi only six years ago. She always touched it for comfort, but tonight it wasn't working... it felt cold and rough against her skin, not soft and reassuring as it usually was.  
  
"Makoto?"  
  
Makoto whirled around and felt her heart pounding in her ears. For the hundredth time, who was she? How did she know Makoto's name and who, exactly, did she think she was, appearing out of nowhere and then having sex with Motoki in the back of a place that regarded having premarital sex as evil and a sin?  
  
Makoto's eyes traveled over the girl. Pale blond hair that seemed natural enough, but you usually never saw that shade on anyone older than the age of three, though, she wasn't short, but Motoki had a good few inches over her. Her eyes were a deep sapphire that held more wisdom of life than she had ever seen in anyone else before, her smile was innocent and sugary, yet somehow a mischievousness played at her face and balanced out the sweetness of it.  
  
Makoto shook her head of the descriptions. She couldn't possibly be—it was impossible; she was a fool to even let the thought cross her mind. Usagi was gone. Makoto had taught herself that years ago. She had taught herself to not turn every time the door opened or to rush to the phone and hope to hear her voice. She had taught herself to not let her hopes ride then only to have them crash back down to the ground.  
  
"I—I—" Makoto was at loss for words, what should she say? "How do you know my name? How did you and Motoki meet?" Makoto almost slapped herself upside-down on the head, maybe she could get the one answer that's been burning more than a hole through her head. "Who, by the way, the hell are you?"  
  
Usagi tightened her hands at fists at her sides. Why had she given herself away like that? Usagi had spotted Makoto's familiar brunette hair and her name had just escaped from between Usagi's lips without her consent. So, really, it wasn't her fault. In a way.  
  
Usagi was known to look on the bright side of things, however. Maybe Makoto wouldn't realize whom she was, Usagi thought hopefully. Ha. Yeah right.  
  
Makoto blinked back her tears. "..." She couldn't understand her sudden urge to hug this girl and begin to sob uncontrollably. Her irrational thinking was beginning to grate on her and as a result she would have a fucking headache that she was sure would take days to get rid of.  
  
Wait. Sobbing uncontrollably? What?  
  
Usagi bit her lip. Makoto knew whom she was deep inside, but she was forcing herself to not believe it after years of wisely teaching herself to not believe things so easily. "Makoto, I know... it's only..."  
  
Makoto hand reached out and gingerly touched Usagi's shoulder, her eyes never leaving Usagi's. No, it couldn't be, Makoto scolded herself, but the proof was right before her eyes. She had living proof that Makoto knew would send all her doubts and uncertainty to hell.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Ami watched Rei and Mamoru nod at each other and follow in Makoto's wake. "Hey, did you see the way they shared some kind of conspiracy signal and went after Makoto?"  
  
Mina shrugged. "They're probably leaving since they haven't any friends here anyway." She grinned then let out a soft, evil cackle. "Maybe they've finally realized that we don't like them."  
  
Ami paled slightly as her mind rewound and replayed the past hour or so and who had gone in that direction. She was probably being silly, like Mina implied, right? "Yeah, but didn't Usagi, Motoki, and Makoto all go in that direction, though?"  
  
Mina looked at her. "Yes, they did. But that's because that's the parking lot and they were all probably going to their cars."  
  
Mina paled slightly as she saw Ami's angle. "If everyone is going that way, then something is bound to happen."  
  
Ami grabbed Mina's hand and began dragging her towards the parking lot. "More like something will be revealed if we don't go over there and somehow, I don't know, stop it."  
  
Mina snorted. "Like you did with your brilliant plan of tackling Makoto?"  
  
Ami blushed, but didn't let her remark slow her. "No, Mina, I was only acting out of spur-of-the-moment and besides, at the time, tackling her had seemed to be the best option and only solution. It worked, didn't it? Makoto was diverted and Usagi got away."  
  
"Yeah, she escaped one nightmare right into a bigger one." Mina sighed. "A full frontal confrontation."  
  
"I hope not." Ami replied softly, "Because Usagi may not be able to handle it, so she may opt to leave again."  
  
Mina didn't say anything, she sped ahead of Ami and broke into a sprint.  
  
A few seconds later, Ami followed suit and soon both of them were flying towards the parking lot, their worry mounting with each step they took.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Makoto needed to make sure that Usagi was real. Proof or not, Makoto has had a history that goes way back with something that seems so right always ending so wrongly.  
  
"I-I-I'm probably crazy, but..." Makoto stammered as she blushed furiously. She knew she wasn't out of her mind because she knew what sex-moans sounded like, but she couldn't help but feeling some self-doubt at the moment, but could anyone blame her? "...were you having sex with Motoki?"  
  
Usagi smiled faintly, amused at how casual and simple the question seemed. Although, she knew better than that, she knew that them making love was anything but simple or casual. "Yes."  
  
Makoto smiled, unsure how to respond to such a straightforward statement to such a complicated question. Was she used to having such casual sex or something? Was this an everyday thing; making love behind any old building as long as it served its purpose to shield them from the prying and nosy eyes of whatever neighborhood she happened to be residing in? "Oh."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Silence.  
  
Usagi threw her hands up into the air, suddenly consumed by the idiocy of the entire situation. She wasn't acting like the mature adult she pegged to be, she was instead acting like a child too scared to face her mistakes and her decisions. God, she just wanted all of this—all of the sneaking around and secrets to end. And it would. Right here, right now. "Dammit, Lord only knows that I'm so sick of this drama-queen, hide-and-seek bullshit!"  
  
Makoto's jaw dropped and hit the floor at the sudden burst from the younger and much smaller woman. "What is the point of hiding? Please, Makoto, if you would, help me understand my own moronic thought process. I mean, what was I thinking? Did I actually believe for a second that any of this would actually work? Of course not! Coming back to Tokyo—around my neighborhood, Tokyo—was the first and only sign I needed to tell me that this plan of mine was going to be a complete and utter failure."  
  
Makoto opened and closed her mouth as the facts began to sink in. Usagi sighed miserably. "I say that I've grown and matured, that I've changed, which I have, for the better, but here I am, a pathetic mess five years later. Oh what lows I've succumbed to."  
  
Makoto, for a moment, let herself bathe in the delicious knowledge of knowing that her Usagi, her long-lost friend that Makoto had grieved for and missed so much, had finally come back to them. Makoto should have known that Usagi wouldn't have stayed away forever, no matter the reasons to explain her return.  
  
Makoto flung her arms around Usagi and began sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"Oh—a hug—I can handle that." Usagi said, as she hugged Makoto and ran her fingers over the brunette's messy tangle of a so-called ponytail.  
  
How she had missed Makoto's subtle way of exploding into tears and turning into a blubbering emotional puddle. "I can't believe you're here! I can't believe it!" Makoto kept saying over and over, until she could barely speak between her sobs without hiccupping.  
  
"I know... it's totally... I know..." Usagi couldn't even begin to think beyond those two words of, "I know."  
  
"Usagi, please promise me you won't leave again without any of us knowing again." Makoto begged her. "If you do... go away again, leave us a note or some kind of sign that you'll contact us." Her face darkened. "If you leave again because they hurt you, then take us with you or at least tell us why so we can beat the shit out of them, okay?"  
  
Usagi couldn't help but to laugh. Leave it to Makoto to somehow incorporate violence into a tearful reunion.  
  
"What the—Makoto what is going on here?"  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Motoki laid in the grass, letting his mind wander back to the past hour. How differently it had ended from what he imagined.  
  
He had dreamt of maybe a kiss, but instead he got laid...  
  
Everything had gone by so quickly it seemed. Motoki could remember clearly how Usagi's head was thrown back in throes of passion, those buffed nails gripping and digging into his back as her body shuddered in release, her mouth letting out hoarse words of need.  
  
There wasn't a single word in any language that could possibly give their experience together any justice. The only thing that he was sure of was that it had been amazing, but even that seemed to not do making love with Usagi any impartiality at all.  
  
It just had been so much better than great. Motoki had honestly thought that by them having sex, his desire and sexual appetite for the blond beauty would have been fulfilled to some sort of extent, but he had been wrong. Oh, how wrong he had been because now, he only craved her more, which was completely absurd, as he couldn't see how his body could manage to want her even more than it already did.  
  
But no matter. He couldn't... he wouldn't argue with the nature of the human being's hormones.  
  
The only thing that he was sure of was that he wanted to do it again so badly that it was beginning to not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally hurt.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Makoto spun around in alarm. "Rei... Mamoru... what a surprise." She remarked, trying to level her voice off.  
  
"Well, we"—Rei looked at Usagi's appearance and hugged Mamoru's arm tighter— "were just leaving because the festival was becoming a total bore."  
  
Usagi sniggered, Rei needn't be afraid that Usagi would steal her precious Mamo-chan from her. He wasn't hers to begin with, but Usagi had no interest in ever taking back such scum. "I have a feeling that it's about to get a bit more exciting. So what are you doing? With her?" She added, flicking her gaze towards Usagi.  
  
"Nothing. I ran into her and I was wrapping my arms around her to—err—check her for any bodily damages." Makoto touched Usagi's back a few times. "Well. Everything looks okay here," Makoto smiled what she hoped to be something within the range of convincing.  
  
Rei almost laughed at her friend's terrible lying capabilities. Her urge to laugh faded, however, when she realized that she wasn't one to talk... "Oh really. How convenient that you are specialized in spine alignment procedures, Makoto; and here I was, thinking that you went to culinary school. I guess your—friend—was very lucky to have you to bump into her."  
  
"That shows just how much you know about anything relating to me." Makoto spat, causing Rei to flinch at her former friend's remark.  
  
Just then Ami and Mina came running up towards them and nearly collided into Mamoru, who was oddly silent.  
  
"Hey... Makoto... and Us..." Mina's eyes lit at the sight of her friend.  
  
Ami sharply jabbed Mina in the ribs before she could finish her sentence.  
  
Rei shot Ami and Mina a dark look before she gazed at the blond-headed girl suspiciously. What was with this girl?  
  
Then the facts began piecing together. The messy appearance... the embarrassed looks... the horrible cover-ups... the way they knew each other... the dark, secluded spot...  
  
Rei was certain she knew what was going on here! How could she had been so blind and not have seen it earlier? She knew that she and her friends had their differences and their relationship may have been on the rocks and really strenuous, but how could they have not at least told her?  
  
"Makoto!" Rei yelled accusingly. "How long have you known about... this for? How long have you been keeping this little 'secret' for?"  
  
Rei saw Ami physically stiffen from the corner of her eye. Interesting. Something fishy was definitely going on here. And it seemed that Rei's suspicions and theories were, as usual, right on target.  
  
Makoto jutted her chin out defensively, refusing to sell out to Rei, of all people. "I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else." She looked at Mamoru, who was busy stealing glances at Usagi.  
  
Denial. The first step, she supposed. Of course she was defensive and angry, Rei had figured out her so-called "secret" that everyone was trying so hard to keep from Rei and Mamoru, who were apparently the only people left on the planet who didn't know.  
  
"You thought I'd never find out? It was only a matter of time, Makoto!"  
  
"Oh, like you know anything." Makoto said, rolling her eyes, trying to call Rei's bluff. Although, Makoto had the sinking feeling, along with everyone else, that Rei wasn't bluffing and she knew exactly what she was talking about.  
  
"Who else knows? Am I the only person who doesn't know about this—this little finding?"  
  
"No one else knows, just us." Usagi said, finally speaking up. "And I didn't want... I wasn't planning to announce it to the world, so thank you, Rei, for your help."  
  
Rei rubbed her temples and pointed to Usagi, ignoring her last statement. Everything was going at such a warped speed... everything was coming apart right before her eyes! "And what about her... is she, you know, like you?"  
  
Makoto blinked. "Like... huh?"  
  
Rei blushed lightly. "You know..." Rei made a vague noise and movement towards Usagi as if that would explain what she meant.  
  
"I have no idea what you are trying to say or what you mean." Makoto looked at Rei blankly. As did everyone else was, had Rei finally lost her mind?  
  
Rei sighed, as if it pained her to say those words and to be the first one among their group to speak them aloud. "You know, is she a lesbian, like you?"  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Excuse me?" Usagi squawked. "You think that we're"—she jabbed a finger at herself, then Makoto—"are homosexuals?"  
  
Ami searched Rei's face for any signs of amusement or any indications that she was kidding around with them. She wasn't, of course. Rei hadn't failed to amaze Ami with her way to completely turn something around and upside- down.  
  
"What else would you be? The facts are all there to see, you just have to piece them together."  
  
Makoto couldn't help it; she burst out laughing.  
  
Rei gave her a withering look. She didn't find the situation very humorous at all. "Come on, Makoto, this isn't very funny. I mean, if you really are a lesbian, then how come you never told anyone about it? And what about her? If she's straight, then why would she be here with you, like this?"  
  
"Because I'm not a lesbian." Usagi said flatly. Could Rei get any dumber? "Rei, don't you know yet...?"  
  
Ami began to reprimand Usagi, but she bit her tongue. If Usagi wanted to throw gasoline into the fire, then that was her business.  
  
"Oh God, what more is there to know?"  
  
"Who I am, of course."  
  
Rei wasn't willing to play at Usagi's little identity game. "Does it honestly make a difference to me or anyone else here who you are?"  
  
Usagi paused. "I'm..." She faltered, if Rei couldn't see the truth herself, then Usagi was definitely not going to participate in speeding the pace up. "Oh, never mind, just forget it." Usagi gave Rei a weak, lighthearted grin that didn't quite reach her eyes.  
  
"Usagi." He said the word so quietly, no louder than her breath. Usagi turned to look at him sharply, his eyes hovered over hers, piercing her with blue flames.  
  
"What did you call me?" Usagi whispered hoarsely, she was biting the inside of her cheek so hard she felt the metallic taste of blood seep into her mouth.  
  
"Usagi!" His voice grew louder with each syllable. "You're Usagi!"  
  
Usagi wanted to charge off that second, but her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground and her eyes seemed to be frozen on Mamoru's darker ones that were filled with sudden recognition.  
  
Rei gaped at the both of them; her eyes were wide and glassy, disbelief, relief, and anxiousness pooled in her violet depths. "Usagi?" She uttered; Rei stepped closer to hug her—she hoped—friend, but Usagi coldly stepped out of her friend's reach. "Don't think I haven't forgotten what you've done to me, Rei."  
  
"I haven't." Rei mumbled, her cheeks wet with tears. She couldn't believe that Usagi, her clumsy, cheerful, bubbly Usagi, had come back after all these years. She had begun to lose sight of the hope of seeing her again. "I couldn't."  
  
But even her confession was only partially true, though, even the revulsion and guilt that had bubbled in her throat like bile after seeing Usagi's pain had begun to waste away after enough time had passed.  
  
After Mamoru had proposed to her... Rei had let the guilt and sadness that had been building up inside of her... go, for Mamoru's and her own sake. She had piled all her feelings about Usagi's mysterious disappearance into a corner of her mind and left it there while she moved on with her life.  
  
Isn't that what a person was suppose to do? Wasn't a person, after facing a heart-wrenching situation, supposed to try to get on with life, since it does tend to not stop at her every problematic issue in her life, and put them in the past where they belong?  
  
But Usagi coming back had only broken her vow to herself and reopened the box that she had carefully sealed all her feelings away into and let everything ooze out into the open and do exactly what she's hoped they would do if they ever were released from that small pocket in her heart: consume Rei in every conceivable way. But maybe she deserved it, maybe she deserved having her life, the life she had created based off of Usagi's misery and heartbreak, devoured by her need for Usagi's forgiveness and how it would release her from the prison of her feelings that she's been decaying in for the past five years.  
  
Rei almost smiled at the irony, however. At this point, Rei was sure that Usagi would like nothing more than to see Rei rot away in her own prison that Rei had undoubtedly formed for herself.  
  
Usagi watched as emotions flickered through Rei's eyes, she could easily read Rei's thoughts, she felt as if she was surfing through the channels in Rei's mind and every single bad show that you hate to watch was on. Rei wanted Usagi's forgiveness; she had picked that much up after seeing Rei for about five seconds. Rei thought that by Usagi forgiving her, she would be free of guilt and any hard feelings and they could somehow go back to being buddy-buddy, BFF.  
  
Although, she could feel herself almost gravitate towards Rei as her inner voice urged her to soothe Rei, telling her that Rei had suffered enough, that they were friends and friends were supposed to work through problems together. But this was Rei, dammit! She had slept with Usagi's soul mate behind her back and now, had the gall to even marry him when it should have been Usagi being the bride-to-be! Usagi could feel no sympathy for her; Rei had brought it onto herself. If she had just kept her dirty hands off of Usagi's former man, then no one would have suffered and Usagi wouldn't have had to miss five years worth of events with her friends.  
  
She could never forgive Rei for betraying her so cruelly and so selfishly. Why had Rei done it? The question still haunted Usagi; Usagi still asked herself that question whenever her thoughts wandered and landed on her past with Mamoru and Rei.  
  
Not that pulled the blame entirely off of Mamoru, however. He had been so careless with her feelings; he seemed to shrug off her love like a disposable rain-poncho and crushed them single-handedly without so much of a second thought. Had he tired of her and the way she had clung to him? Or had he forgotten the tiny detail that maybe having sex—there was no possible way that they had made anything remotely near to love—would hurt Usagi and ultimately drive her away and to such extreme measures such as running away or committing suicide since they were, after all, destined to be together...  
  
Wouldn't seeing their future, what they could have shared have stopped Mamoru from putting his slimy hands all over Rei? Wouldn't the thought of completely destroying Usagi put a stop to the secret affair that they were having? Wouldn't ruining Crystal Tokyo's future have some sort of affect on them?  
  
Usagi broke away from Mamoru's intense gaze and focused on the patches of grass flattened beneath her foot. That's how she felt, Usagi thought. Trampled all over and crushed beneath Mamoru and Rei's unforgiving feet. What would become of Crystal Tokyo now? What had become of the city, it's inhabitants, and most of all, Chibi-Usa?  
  
The thought of even ruling a planet, much less with Mamoru was not only unthinkable; it was downright absurd and impossible. How could they if Mamoru was going to have side-relationships along the way, how could they if Usagi outright refused to? Starting up a relationship, platonic or not, was anything short of a miracle. How could they rule a planet, not to mention the universe together if he was going to be unfaithful and cheat on Usagi with every opportunity that presented itself? If Mamoru could stray from their relationship once, then he was bound to do it again, it was pure logic, simple and straight.  
  
How could she ever trust him again? How could she even befriend him with all these feelings floating around within her? A hot, searing anger inflated within her as she thought of Rei's past endeavors to apologize to Usagi only an hour after she had found their charade they had been playing out. "Good." Usagi said as her cheeks darkened with her underlying resentment.  
  
"Usagi," Rei began softly, "I never got the chance, but I just wanted to apologize for—"  
  
"You didn't seem very sorry five years ago." Usagi cut in icily as her cheeks flushed to a deep red. "You didn't seem very sorry a few days ago when you announced to the whole world about your wedding to Mamoru."  
  
Ami and Minako watched silently as their leader struggled to be strong and not cry. They should intervene and put a stop to this open show of pain, but something was telling them that Usagi had to do this and they shouldn't interfere...  
  
"I've been miserable this whole time! I haven't let myself truly indulge in happiness since you left!"  
  
Usagi snorted. "And I'm supposed to feel bad about that? Especially after you seemed perfectly happy with holding Mamoru's hand only a few minutes ago."  
  
"I—I—wasn't..."  
  
"Don't you dare lie to me." Usagi growled. Makoto began inching closer to Usagi, prepared to grab her if Usagi made an attack towards the couple. It wouldn't be totally out of character for her to do it. "Don't you dare lie to me again! I didn't come back here for your B-rated lies. I could have stayed in America for that." Usagi sputtered angrily.  
  
Rei's lower chin began trembling slightly. "But—I... I—you don't—"  
  
Usagi pressed her forefingers to her eyelids and released them with a flourish. "I'm done, Rei, don't you get that? I'm sick of this crap. I never want to see you or Mamoru again because at the very sight of you guys I start to feel sick to my stomach." Usagi contemplated becoming the drama- queen of the century, but decided she'd had enough for one night. "I want to be able to come back to Tokyo and visit my friends properly, not through secret rendezvous. I shouldn't have to hide like a freaking vigilante who's afraid to be spotted by... you two."  
  
Rei watched, tearfully, as Usagi spun around and stalked off with Makoto and Ami hot on her heels.  
  
Mina lingered behind. "Rei, I want to sympathize with you, but then why this is happening just comes back and all thoughts of helping you feel better disappears." Mina shook her head disappointedly. "This is you and Mamoru's fault, you know. You guys brought this onto yourself, unfortunately."  
  
Rei opened her mouth to speak, but she snapped it closed. Rei knew nothing coherent or anything that would make anything better would come out of it.  
  
Mamoru still hadn't said a word since his last outburst. Rei looked at him pleadingly, but she knew her looks wouldn't coax Mamoru out of his shell anytime soon. The only person Rei knew who could persuade Mamoru to do nearly anything was...  
  
...Usagi.  
  
Why did everything have to revolve around her? "Doesn't anyone think how we're feeling about this?" Rei yelled.  
  
Mina's vision blurred with red. "Excuse me, but Mamoru was the one who cheated on Usagi!" She narrowed her eyes at Rei. "You have no right to even ask for thoughtfulness on your side! I can't believe you would even think about yourself in a time like this when Usagi—"  
  
Makoto appeared from behind Mina and gently griped her by the arms before she could lunge at Rei and wrap her slender fingers around Rei's graceful neck.  
  
Mina began crying as Makoto led her away from the lonesome couple. "Don't you care about anyone else but yourself? How could you two have sex without feeling guilty and Usagi's face flashing through your minds every time Rei groans or Mamoru murmurs, 'I love you?' How... could you..." Mina's voice eventually grew softer as she and Makoto put as much distance between them as they possibly could.  
  
Rei broke down in Mamoru's limp arms, sobbing, as she let herself pretend that her wedding would be wonderful despite her friend's cold attitude towards her and that Mamoru was actually comforting her with his half- hearted consolances.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- 


	7. Chapter Five

She's Back... - Chapter Five  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
It was six o'clock in the morning and Motoki was running on less than a few hours of restless sleep. After Usagi had jumped up because she had heard someone approaching them, Motoki had lazily stretched his long legs out in front of him and smoothly rested his head on the insides of his open palms.  
  
It had taken enough energy to actually change his position; Motoki had found it positively horrifying when he realized that at one point or another, particularly in three hours, he'd have to get up to open the arcade and that he'd have to do it all normally even with thoughts of him and Usagi's night... or rather, early morning, together flashing through his mind with excruciatingly vivid images and details.  
  
He had also been dismayed by the thought of facing his former best friend without having the pleasure of pummeling his face at first sight. Motoki looked around him. Where was the damn chainsaw, butchering knife, or anything remotely sharp that he could use to stab a certain dark-haired idiot when he needed one?  
  
But what had troubled Motoki more was the fact that he'd have to leave their sacred place alone and without the knowledge of knowing when they'd return.  
  
Motoki unlocked the doors to the arcade and threw them open with energy. Even if he really wanted to be anywhere else but there, he would at least fake enthusiasm and energy for the customers, that wasn't the minimum he could do; that was the most that he could _hope _to do today.  
  
Motoki guessed that's why they call it work.  
  
All through the morning and early afternoon, he had forced his smiles and made himself seem energetic and actually happy to be at the arcade, working, when he could be with Usagi and spending time with her.  
  
"Hey, Motoki!"  
  
"Motoki, what's up?"  
  
"What's going on, my man?"  
  
"Lovin' the smoothies, honey. Almost as sweet as you." ("Gee, thanks Mom.")  
  
"Are you available tonight, babe? Because, well, I am."  
  
Motoki would smile and nod and laugh at the appropriate times, but his heart wasn't into anything he was doing. It was always the same thing, the same people, and the same routine every day.  
  
Somehow that had been enough for him before, before Usagi, but now it felt like it filled only a miniscule part of him. He needed more... but what he wanted at the moment was for a certain blond (who could use her hands in amazing ways he never knew were even possible for hand movements, might he add), who could make the entire regular routine bearable, to show up. It was almost as if his unbelievable-completely-unbeatable night was being topped off by the worst after-sex-morning. Motoki was sure that he had suddenly found himself in the midst of a bad soap opera.  
  
If one thing in his set-in-stone day were to change, why did it have to be Usagi coming in every day around three o'clock to order her strawberry milkshake with an extra mound of whip cream (how she kept her tight form while eating enough to challenge an entire army division was still a mystery to Motoki)?  
  
Motoki rubbed the same spot, frustrated. He had experienced one of the best nights in his entire existence and the morning... later... he still hadn't gotten in a single word with the woman that he had shared it with. For God's sake, did he need to call in ahead of time and schedule an appointment with her? Motoki contemplated that idea. Did she have a secretary? Because if so, that may have not been such a—  
  
The front doors slid open and Motoki whimpered in resignation before pasting a smile on. Before he had a chance to look up from the hole that he was currently trying to rub through the counter, his vision was invaded by... blondness.  
  
"Usagi?" He murmured hopefully as he inhaled deeply. It was an automatic response, he supposed, to when hair—female hair, to be exact—was suddenly smothering his face, tickling his nose, and becoming wet from getting caught in his mouth. He sniffed her hair once more, testing it. "Your shampoo is different... I mean, it's different, but good, it's—"  
  
The blond looked up at him and Motoki realized she wasn't Usagi. Instead, she was Usagi's friend, Mina. It was funny in a strange way, before Usagi and him... hooked up, so to say, he would have referred to Mina as "Mina" instead of as "Usagi's friend." But it seemed that now, everything somehow connected back to Usagi, no matter if it was her friends or if it was a package of strawberries that he had bought from a company that was owned by a man who happened to be good friends with Kenji Tuskino, who ironically, was Usagi's father.  
  
Everything with Usagi was a full circle.  
  
But nevertheless, Usagi's blond and bubby friend reminded him of her and how she should be here and not Mina. "Oh... it's you. Sorry about that."  
  
Mina rolled her eyes. The guy was so gone that it almost hurt to look at him. "Try to contain your excitement, please. No, really, Motoki, you don't even have to pretend to like seeing me."  
  
Motoki blushed sheepishly. "Sorry. You just weren't who I was expecting."  
  
"And would that person be blond, beautiful, and have a degree in fashion designing handy?" Mina asked teasingly. "I figured since you called me Usagi when you remarked on how her—or rather, my—hair smelled. It's called 'ripe cherry,' what do you think of it?"  
  
Motoki shrugged, indifferently. "It's cool."  
  
"I'm sorry, but this wouldn't be a bad time for you to ask my order, would it?" Mina joked good-naturedly.  
  
Motoki smiled weakly. He tended to forget that even Usagi's friends were still customers. "Oh, sorry. What'd you like today, ma'am?" He asked in a deep, British voice.  
  
Mina decided to not play along. It wasn't that she wasn't a good sport, it was just that, well, she hadn't exactly come to the arcade on a friendly visit to Usagi's pal. "A strawberry shake with whip cream would be fine, thanks, Motoki."  
  
Motoki's brows rose slightly as he jotted the order down, but it bothered him, oddly enough, that Mina was ordering Usagi's shake, Mina was a blond like Usagi, and she was close enough to being Usagi, except for the fact that she wasn't Usagi, which made all the other similarities pale in comparison.  
  
Motoki knew that he was being toyed and frankly, he didn't like it.  
  
But from the look on Mina's face, he realized that she didn't look like she wanted a shake; in fact, it looked like she didn't even want to be here in the first place. Motoki set the pad on the counter. Was it time for him to play advice-giver-and-open-listener already? "I have the feeling that you didn't just come here for a shake."  
  
Mina sighed. "You guessed right."  
  
"So... why the hell are you here, then?" Motoki grinned. "I'm guessing that you're not here because of my irresistible charms."  
  
Mina laughed. "Well, the last part is definitely right." She sobered and grew serious. "Actually, it's about Usagi."  
  
Terror latched onto Motoki like leech. How could he feel such a terrible fear for someone so quickly? The sensation was overpowering, it surged through Motoki, he felt the fine hairs on his hands, his arms, and his neck raise. "Oh God, what's wrong? Is she okay?"  
  
He'd shut the arcade down and be wherever he needed to be so fast that Mina wouldn't have time to stand up from her seat on the stool.  
  
"She told me that you knew what was going on—you know—with Mamoru and Rei."  
  
"Yeah? What about it?"  
  
"They had the confrontation."  
  
Motoki breathed a bit easier as the terror lessened its grip on him, but he wasn't completely free of the anxiousness that left a dull feeling in his chest. Mina was talking about the incident with Rei and Mamoru at the festival parking lot. He had heard the scene erupt a few yards from the grove where they had been, but he hadn't felt that it would have been his place to get up and go over there, right from behind the bush. Especially since Usagi had enough on her mind without her friends constantly interrogating her about her relationship with Motoki.  
  
Truthfully, a part of him was afraid of what her response to that question would be. Did she think of them as friends or as more? Evidently, she'd have to think of them as more if she would make complete and utter love to him...  
  
But obviously Usagi hadn't clued her friends in yet that Motoki didn't just know; he had been there and she had had sex with him only sometime before that. Amazing what a bit of knowledge would do to completely turn the tables around on a situation? Motoki played along, however. "Oh Jesus. What happened?"  
  
Mina listed off the key points of the night with flicks of her fingers. "Usagi told Rei off, there was lots of crying and screaming, Usagi stormed off, and I yelled at Mamoru and Rei and would have attacked if Makoto hadn't held me back. It wasn't anything less than what I expected." Mina lowered her voice. "But personally I think Usagi went a bit easy on Rei. But telling them to stay away from her and implying that the entire situation had grown out of control was a definite nice touch."  
  
Motoki widened his eyes and nodded. "So everyone knows that she's back?"  
  
"Yeah." Mina hesitated. "Well, almost."  
  
"Who else doesn't know about her coming back?"  
  
"Our other friends. They are more distant to our group, I suppose, but they are extremely close with Usagi. Closer to her than with the rest of us."  
  
Motoki didn't understand the logic of what they were doing. Sure, he loved Usagi, but if the rest of her friends knew of her return, then why not tell the others that sounded very close to her?  
  
"We can't." It was a simple statement that wasn't meant to be questioned.  
  
Motoki furrowed his brow in confusion. "Huh?"  
  
"They're really protective of Usagi."  
  
Motoki was genuinely interested now. She was avoiding the question and trying to change the subject. "And the problem is...?"  
  
Mina shook her head, unsuccessfully trying to divert the conversation from heading in that direction. Whoa, how had they gotten that far off course? "It's unimportant, Motoki, really. I don't even know why I'm getting into this with you."  
  
"Why can't you tell them that she's come back?" Motoki pressed, sensing some tension of some sort.  
  
"I'm not really here to discuss Usagi's reasoning behind not telling them, okay?" Mina insisted, frigidly. "That's for you to take up with her, not me. I was just sent here on a favor to come and ask if you would come over to Makoto's house. She really needs to see you."  
  
"Hey, I didn't mean to intrude or anything, but you—"  
  
"Motoki, Usagi asked me to come here and get you, she didn't ask me to chat about her behind her back with you." Mina remarked before she flounced out of the arcade.  
  
Motoki scratched his head in bewilderment. Girls were so weird.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"She hates us, doesn't she?"  
  
Mamoru shot her a stern look. "Well, what do you think?"  
  
Rei rolled her neck around and tried to relax her stiff muscles. "Can you give me a neck massage?" Rei asked innocently as she positioned herself in front of Mamoru and lifted her hair off the base of her neck. He always seemed to be in a better mood when they were kissing or when she let him touch her.  
  
Mamoru backed away slowly, this time, and looked anywhere but Rei's violently blazing eyes. He wasn't sure if he could touch Rei, even if he wanted to. He needed to be alone to think. "Actually, I need to get going. I have a lot of work to get down at the university and I have a lot of papers to grade and I have my own deadlines I need to make..."  
  
"You're just making excuses to get away from me, aren't you?" Rei pouted.  
  
"No, baby, why would I do that?" Mamoru asked logically. "I'm marrying you, aren't I? By proposing to you, I would have thought that my intentions of always wanting to be around you for the rest of my life would have become clear." Oddly, Mamoru had to search himself for the confidence and ease of saying those words that he was sure didn't exist within him.  
  
His mind was certain he was making the right decision by marrying Rei. She's beautiful, smart, funny, loving, sexy... everything that even a man with half a brain would want in a woman. But that damned, good-for-nothing cardiovascular muscle that pounded in his chest and sped up at the sight of another blond woman was contradicting his logical way of thinking and demising his assurance in Rei and his relationship.  
  
After seeing Usagi...  
  
After realizing that he was desperately trying to deny to himself that seeing her made no impact upon his feelings, he knew that he was only lying to himself because if nothing else, Mamoru knew that Usagi had a habit of being able to switch his feelings around so quickly that not even he would see what was coming next.  
  
And after noticing how suddenly his long suppressed doubts rose up and blew up inside of him like a balloon and threatened to swallow him whole...  
  
...Mamoru wasn't quite sure what he felt for anyone anymore.  
  
"When are you going to get back?" Rei asked as she leaned against the wall.  
  
Mamoru shrugged. "I don't know. It depends how much work I can get done." At Rei's expression, Mamoru hurriedly added, "And I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can, of course."  
  
Rei's scary expression vanished and was replaced by a look of pure glee. "I've heard that it's not healthy to have all work and no play."  
  
"Oh?" Mamoru coughed uncomfortably. "And where did you hear that from?"  
  
"Oh, just from a handsome, dark-haired fellow." She giggled. "So hurry home so we can get to the fun parts of the night, okay?" Rei urged in a low, throaty voice.  
  
Mamoru cleared his throat nervously and leaned down to peck her on the lips. Usually he would play along with her and it would take him hours to leave, but at the moment... all his thoughts narrowed down to one conclusion: Get away from Rei as fast a humanly possible.  
  
Instead of a short, painless kiss, Rei pulled him down towards her with her hands and pressed her full, red lips against his. Mamoru hesitated and Rei sensed his uncertainty. She broke her lips away and pushed away from him forcefully. "God, what is with you? You've been withdrawn and quiet since we left the festival. You're, liking, freaking out on me." Rei's eyes softened. "Are you acting like this because of what happened with Usagi?"  
  
Mamoru opened his mouth to speak, but Rei charged on. "Pretty weird seeing her for the first time in five years, don't you think?" Rei patted his arm. Mamoru glanced down at her hand and couldn't help thinking how her touching his arm really didn't make him feel any better, but only worse. "Don't worry about the scene between Usagi and I, I'm hoping that we'll all be able to put the past in its place and move onto the future. Maybe even someday, somehow, in the future she'll be able to accept us."  
  
Mamoru found that unlikely, considering that he was Usagi's supposed soul mate and he had cheated on her with one of her protectors. "Wouldn't that be just lovely if I could invite her to the wedding? She'd look so gorgeous in that one ivory dress that we saw in the one wedding shop by the corner on Vine Street."  
  
Mamoru hesitated. "Umm... maybe we shouldn't, you know, invite her to the wedding."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I mean, we did kind of hurt her by getting together in the first place and inviting her to the wedding would just be a slap on the face." Mamoru bit his lip. "I don't think she'll ever be able to except us because of how we got together. In any other case, maybe she'd acknowledge our relationship better, but right now doesn't seem like the right time to ask her to wear that ivory dress, or to participate in the wedding, or to even come. I can't really think of a right time that you could ask her if you were to, though."  
  
Rei looked as if she had been the one slapped. "Mamoru," Rei gasped. "You... you... it may not be—at least—" Rei seemed to have taken in more than enough into consideration after Mamoru's mini-speech. She glanced at Mamoru before waving him off, giving him the okay to leave and go to the university to do whatever he needed to do.  
  
Walking off, she didn't notice how Mamoru tilted his head to the side and a look of relief crossed over his handsome features. Even a fool could see how the distraught, ambition-filled young man was suddenly letting himself breathe freely for the first in a long time.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi leaned against the tiled, bathroom wall. She felt like a pathetic snob; she finally had her friends back—well, most of them, at least—, her secret no longer weighed her down, and despite that she hadn't spoken to Motoki since early this morning, and still, for some forsaken reason, she had isolated herself from her friends by locking herself in the world's smallest and most cramped bathroom.  
  
Usagi inhaled deeply and decided to go about everything in a more mature and reasonable matter. She made a mental list of every single plausible reason explaining why she had rushed to the bathroom and locked herself within it without another word to any of her friends.  
  
(1) She felt feelings for Motoki that were more than just friendly and complicated matters beyond comprehendible belief.  
  
(2) She couldn't stand the fact that it's been over two hours since Mina had come back and he still hasn't shown up.  
  
(3) Images of Rei and Mamoru kept popping into her mind at random moments; distracting her from anything else and causing her to run into walls because of her lack of multi-tasking skills.  
  
(4) She wants to be alone to be able to organize her thoughts and think through her next move carefully.  
  
(5) She's had five years to be alone so far and she's so used to it that having anyone else from her past to talk to was unusual and oddly enough, hard for her to get used to.  
  
(6) She might still like...  
  
There were only five possibilities, Usagi mentally counted, refusing to acknowledge the last one. She wouldn't even allow herself to consider it more than just a ghost of an option.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"How long has she been in there?" Makoto asked for what seemed the hundredth time.  
  
"Fifteen minutes." Ami answered automatically after glancing at the wall clock. "Should I go and try?"  
  
"If you want, but I don't know how long she's going to be in there for or if anyone's attempts are going to work." Makoto grew angry; she was just so frusterated! Usagi had finally come back and yet, she was still just as far away from them as she had been when they hadn't known of her whereabouts. "I knew it would be a bad idea to have Mina go and try to get that idiot, Motoki. I knew that if he didn't come, Usagi would become depressed because it's obvious that she fancies him. I should have stopped Mina from going and told Usagi to forget about him."  
  
She sighed. "I can just add that to the long list of things I should've done and didn't do a single thing about."  
  
Mina rubbed Makoto's back soothingly. "Hey, hey, Makoto. Don't blame yourself, okay? It's not your fault that he hasn't shown up—yet. He's just really nervous, seriously. You should have seen the boy; he was a mess and he won't screw up his chance with Usagi, trust me." She paused for a second. "Although, I don't think that he knows how much of Usagi's feelings he holds. He mostly is only aware of how he feels towards her."  
  
"The boy can be so thick-headed sometimes, I swear." Makoto sighed, loosening up slightly. "But I guess everyone can be when they're in love."  
  
"You are the Senshi of Love, aren't you, Mina? You should be the one to know, right?" Ami remarked quietly from the corner she was seated in.  
  
"Sometimes my instincts can be a bit off, Ami-chan." Mina quipped tersely.  
  
"We're all a bit on the edge, so chill out you guys." Makoto cut in suddenly, her voice was tight and assured at the same time.  
  
"Whatever." Ami muttered under her breath. "I'm going to go check on Usagi." Ami said stiffly before she stood up and disappeared into the darkened hallway.  
  
"I have a feeling that she isn't going to be very successful." Makoto announced after Ami left the room to go into the bedroom where the bathroom was. "I want her to be, but I'm just saying, it doesn't seem very bright for her success."  
  
"I have a feeling that the only person who will be successful is the very person who isn't here." Mina said, almost wistfully.  
  
Ami knocked softly on the door and waited in silence for a few moments. "Usagi?" Ami tentatively called out. "Usagi? Will you please come out and talk to the others or me? Or will you at least let me in?" Ami was willing to bargain with Usagi, if that was what it took. Ami felt it was a cruel joke being play on her, she was given the gift of meeting Usagi again, but it was being taken away from her all over again! It wasn't fair!  
  
"I'm sorry, Ami." Usagi choked out from behind the door. "I can't come out yet. I just need some time to think, okay?"  
  
Ami sighed and touched the door, searching for some kind of comfort. "Okay. Come out when you're ready, but know that we're here for you Usagi." Ami paused. "We will always be here for you. We won't even betray or hurt you purposefully or not, Mina and Makoto along with the rest of the girls will swear to their lives on that." Ami's voice had grown fearful that Usagi would reject her once more.  
  
"Thank you, Ami." Usagi whispered. "You don't know how much that means to me, when you say that."  
  
Ami nodded once before she pushed herself off the ground and steeled herself, preparing for when Makoto and Minako would give her I-told-you-so looks and bristle in a self-righteous way, as if they had known all along Ami would fail in her mission to get Usagi out.  
  
They were right, and for once, Ami was unfortunately wrong.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi stared at the door with remorse at her own weakness. She had let Ami down by refusing to come out, Usagi was sure of that much. But she couldn't face her friends; she couldn't face anyone without having to look away from the disappointment and pity that would be shot at her.  
  
Usagi paused, however. Maybe she could face Motoki, but that was a whole different story... although, she'd never know because from the direction that the day was heading in, it didn't seem that Motoki was going to show up within the next century at the earliest.  
  
Where was he, anyway? The least he could do was at least call, stop by, or even send her a postcard of his existence and that he hadn't forgotten about her and their night together! Usagi's heart slowed. What if he hadn't enjoyed it as much as she had? What if he was avoiding her...  
  
Was he going to be like Mamoru? Was he going to betray her like so many others in her life had? Usagi sighed, irritated by her annoying line of thoughts. Of course he wasn't, Motoki was different.  
  
But the growing doubt didn't stop. So she had thought the same of Mamoru and look where that so-called romance had led her! Five years of her life in Tokyo lost and still on horrible, horrible terms.  
  
She just hoped that her instincts on men had also improved over the years.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mina flicked a piece of lint off of her off the shoulder pale orange top that matched her flirty, white mini-skirt. "What time—"  
  
"Mina, please. It's only been, like, five minutes, okay?" Makoto snapped furiously. Sitting in one spot and listening for any movement from the bathroom was becoming an annoying obsession for Makoto. She was more edgy than the two others combined. "Why don't you look at the clock and check it yourself?"  
  
"Actually, it's been—"  
  
"Ami, we really don't need the exact time down to the millisecond." Makoto deadpanned.  
  
Ami feebly apologized, "Sorry, Makoto, but I was just—"  
  
Mina shot Ami a look and imperceptibly shook her head as if to say: don't even try.  
  
Ami shrugged and lowered her gaze to her lap. "Fine." Ami uttered the word with contempt; there was nothing else left for her to say anyway. They were caught in an in-between stage, what could they do?  
  
As if to answer Ami's question, the doorbell suddenly rang. Makoto jumped to her feet and threw the door open, only to reveal the very infamous and very disliked, Mamoru.  
  
He received, nevertheless, three deadly glares from three very pissed off girls. "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Makoto taunted menacingly.  
  
Mamoru then began to seriously reconsider his decision to come there when he saw a spark crackle off of Makoto's outstretched palm. "I... uh..."  
  
"Yes, it's our dear friend, Mamoru." Mina mocked, her voice equally, if not more, intimidating.  
  
"What do you want?" Ami asked frostily, causing the temperature to drop a few degrees lower.  
  
Mina and Makoto displayed their anger and no-hesitation-to-kill-you-on-the- spot looks clearly and loudly, but Ami just stood there and looked at him with a look of utter and complete disgust, as if he sunk to a level lower than shit.  
  
"I—I just wanted... I just wanted to see Usagi... I—"  
  
"You sure as hell aren't going anywhere near her as long as I'm around." Makoto threatened, stepping between him and the door.  
  
Mamoru knew he was strong, but he critically measured and calculated how big and strong the girls were. He could maybe—even maybe was pushing it—take on two of them, but three?  
  
Take on three very angry, very strong, and very powerful senshi that hated his guts and when they wanted to, could take him down and kill him in cold blood murder? Mamoru wasn't that stupid, as hard as it may be to believe.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi heard the doorbell sound loudly throughout the house. It could be Motoki, Usagi thought, or it could be someone else just stopping by for Makoto...  
  
But if it was Motoki, she didn't want him to witness her in one of her darkest moments, hiding out in a bathroom as she was trying to sort through her feelings. Usagi cautiously opened her door and heard Makoto's muffled voice through the closed, mahogany doors.  
  
Charging into the living room before she could stop herself, Usagi faltered mid-stride when she caught sight of a familiar ebony haired young man who was standing, nervously, amongst her bloodthirsty looking friends. As his entire face came into view, a painful pang shot through her heart. "Mamoru." She murmured, her voice broke, confused and upset.  
  
She had expected to see Motoki.  
  
Her heart ached when she realized that she had wanted to see Mamoru, despite the current circumstances...  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"I've already told you, Liz. I've got other plans, so I've got to go." Motoki insisted once more. "Please—just let go of me—"  
  
"No, no, no, Toki-chan! We've got plans!"  
  
Motoki hung his head; Lizzie could be so stubborn sometimes. Didn't she understand that she was acting like a bratty fifteen-year-old because the only reason she wanted him to tag along was for a ride and because unlike her, he had money. "Toki-chan!" Lizzie said sharply. "Mama said we need to spend some quality time together—"  
  
"—We live together for God's sake!"  
  
She continued as if she hadn't heard him. "And so I propose we go to the mall and go shopping, of course." She added, "And you can buy."  
  
He knew it all along. She was all about money. He glared at his forceful younger sister who was doing a damn good job of putting him through hell. "I'm sure as hell not paying anything for you."  
  
"Oh?" Lizzie remarked, a challenging tone lingered in her voice...  
  
Motoki flinched; he did not like the way she was looking at him, with that defiant and determined smirk. "I think you are about to eat your words, Motoki." She said, dropping the sweeter-than-candy act.  
  
Motoki fidgeted with his feet. "Oh, am I?" She was a shrimp, more than a foot smaller than him. What possibly could she do to him that would ever convince him to go along with her?  
  
"Yes, you will." She smiled devilishly. "Trust me, Motoki. You don't want to push me... especially since I have this sort of power over you!"  
  
"Power?" Motoki snorted. "What sort of power?"  
  
"Usagi's a nice girl, Motoki." Her smile deepened. "Well... most of the time, at least."  
  
Motoki gulped as he realized exactly what kind of power that she had. It wasn't that much power anyway... "Oh."  
  
"And it's really a small world because I happened to be at the festival—you know, the one you were working at—when you and Usagi—"  
  
He held up a hand, stopping her. Okay, he had heard enough. "You don't know what you're talking about." Motoki argued.  
  
"Oh, I think I do." Liz eyed him critically. "And when I have this type of information, trust me, I can put it to very good use."  
  
Motoki normally would brush off her threats easily, but this involved Usagi and he knew for a fact that his sister could be vicious when it came to blackmailing and gossip. Usagi was a grown woman, but somehow he had the feeling that Liz could do much worse than simple gossip... "I won't pay, though."  
  
"It's your choice." She shrugged, as if everything was out of her hands when really she controlled everything. "Pay and carry the bags or invite along all my friends and chaperone us."  
  
From experience, Motoki knew better than to pick the last. Hanging around one hormonal-crazy teenage girl was horrible enough. Handling five or six? Ha! But if she paid, then she wouldn't buy as much to conserve her money, right? "I'll carry bags, I guess..."  
  
"Good! Now that that is settled, we can go!" She paused for a moment then picked up the phone and handled it to him.  
  
Motoki looked down at his hand then to her with confusion. "What... what am I supposed to do with... this?" he looked at it as if he'd never seen one before.  
  
"Invite my friends along, of course."  
  
"But why... I thought that we agreed on me carrying..."  
  
"We did, but I changed my mind."  
  
Motoki paled and felt a bit queasy. She couldn't possibly be serious; she wanted him to hang around a bunch of teenagers all afternoon? He was literally committing suicide, he was signing his death warrant... "I see, but you—" Goddamn! He had no backbone when it came to family!  
  
"And you're in any position to be demanding anything of me?" Lizzie patted him on the arm with mock-consideration. "If you want you can invite along your other friends?" Hang around Usagi's friends? Hang around Usagi's homicidal friends? Along with Lizzie's friends? Was she insane? Did she want to be the cause of his early death?  
  
"But if you are to invite Usagi, I don't want you to be with her alone." Liz snickered. "I'm just watching out for you, big brother." He silently groaned at her comment. Could she be anymore immature than what she was?  
  
"No, your friends are enough." He finally gave in.  
  
Girls had this strange power over him... and he was beginning to despise it...  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Umm... hi." Mamoru greeted awkwardly.  
  
"Hello." Usagi said with difficulty, it was as if the others had vanished and all that existed was they, which was on odd feeling to feel with her ex- boyfriend...  
  
"Uh, Usagi?" Makoto cut in as she tapped Usagi on the shoulder. "Do you remember who you are talking to? This is Mamoru. Ma-mo-ru. I'm just wondering if you need us to remind you about your past with him?"  
  
Usagi sure as hell didn't need anyone to remind her of what she and Mamoru had shared. It only haunted her every moment of her life. "Um..."  
  
Makoto was beginning to feel frustrated. Makoto was well aware of how much Usagi cared for Mamoru, it wasn't right... Mamoru knew that Usagi held a weak spot for him and Makoto knew that he would somehow exploit it. She can't help loving him, Makoto mused silently, they are do hold a thousand year old love after all.  
  
"You're right." Usagi admitted regretfully as she pulled away from the slowly forming connection between them and stepped towards her friends. "What do you want?"  
  
Makoto only felt partially relieved; Usagi was rising to the occasion and trying to be strong for herself and everyone else. But Makoto had the sinking feeling that after Usagi finally gave Mamoru the opportunity to explain him... she would let her heart fall for him, only securing her own heartbreak in the long run when he would hurt her again.  
  
Mamoru flinched. Good, Makoto thought, satisfied. He should be embarrassed and hurt by her cold attitude. After all, he didn't expect her to fall all over herself around him, did he?  
  
"I... I just wanted to..." His cheeks were quickly paling in color. Makoto almost felt a twinge of pity for him, but it was replaced by delight in seeing him having to stutter and stammer painfully. "...Invite you to the wedding." He finished slowly.  
  
"Did I hear you right?" Mina asked, incredulous. "Did you just ask her to attend to your wedding? To Rei; who happens to be the woman that you had an affair with behind Usagi's back for who knows how long?"  
  
Usagi touched Mina's arm, trying to calm her, but Mina shook her head in disbelief at the all time new lows that Mamoru had managed to hit. "It may sound unreasonable, but I—"  
  
The tips of Ami's ears were an angry shade of red. "It doesn't sound unreasonable, Mamoru. It is unreasonable." She nodded to the door, not bothering to mask her disdain. "I think that it is time for you to leave."  
  
Mamoru gulped and stole another look at Usagi who looked miserable and stunned into silence by his request. Mamoru spun around and opened the door mid-way when Usagi's voice stopped him. "I accept."  
  
Four pairs of heads turned towards her, astounded. "What?" Ami shrieked. "You're accepting his invitation to—to—to his wedding?" She sputtered as she pointed an accusing finger at Mamoru. "You came here and now she's accepted your fucking invitation—God, haven't you—"  
  
"Ami, please." Usagi quietly begged; her eyes trained on the plush carpet. To admit, she was a bit surprised at Ami's colorful outburst. "I've made my decision, so please, just leave it alone, okay?"  
  
How can she act so calm? Ami wondered as angry tears gathered in her icy blue depths. "I—okay, but Usagi, are you...?"  
  
"Its on the twenty-second." Mamoru told her softly; his cobalt eyes glittered with naked hope and fear at the same time. She had accepted his invitation, giving him the sign that her heart was beginning to forgive him and maybe Rei as well.  
  
He turned to leave once more and this time, no voice stopped him from leaving.  
  
After Mamoru left, the girls planted Usagi on the ground and themselves around her, their questions spurting out faster than they could ask them.  
  
"What's going on, Usagi?" Ami asked, her arms encircling the smaller, blond woman. "You're going to their wedding after claiming to never wanting to see or having anything to do with them ever again?"  
  
"Why are you going? Are you going to go to sabotage the wedding?" Mina began getting excited at the prospect of ruining their wedding, but her spirits promptly came spiraling down when Usagi shot her a "yeah right" look.  
  
Makoto's question startled them all the most: "Have you forgiven him and Rei?"  
  
Usagi opened her mouth, and then closed it. Usagi couldn't answer her, but that was enough of a response that Makoto needed that confirmed her deepest fears.  
  
Usagi was softening; she was beginning to forgive the traitors...  
  
There was nothing Makoto could do to stop it, but to watch and wish for the best for her friend. She could also hope for Mamoru's sudden freak accident involving him to break every bone in his body and for him to be unable to stop drooling at the mouth, as to gross Usagi out permanently.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- 


	8. Chapter Six

She's Back... - Chapter Six  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
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Thanks for your reviews, you guys... I really appreciate that you guys like the newly improved chapters, and yes, I agree, I also like how everything is moving a lot faster instead of being dragged out over a span of four or five chapters. :)  
  
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ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
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"Oh hell, you guys, the hottest guy was just looking over at me and he smiled. If you guys would have seen him, you would have just absolutely died." Lizzie announced in a loud whisper smugly as she began semi- hyperventilating. Her five other girlfriends squealed excitedly and immediately began searching the crowd with their prying eyes for the cutie Lizzie was giggling about.  
  
Motoki rolled his eyes at their completely idiotic, immature behavior. He had been forced to endure three and a half hellish hours of this form of enjoyment women call shopping.  
  
"Liz, don't you think we should be going, now?" Motoki asked tiredly as he checked his watch again for the fourth time in the last ten minutes.  
  
Lizzie didn't bother to glance at him. "No."  
  
"Fifteen minutes," Motoki warned, "and then I'm leaving with or without you and your friends."  
  
Lizzie glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Motoki, you wouldn't just leave us here without a ride and miles from home."  
  
"It's not my problem that you wanted to go to this mall instead of the one closer to our house."  
  
"I wanted a change of scenery."  
  
"Like I said; it's not my problem." Motoki deadpanned flatly. He could careless now what Lizzie threatened to do. He had done his part and if she was unwilling to cooperate... She's not the only one with resources, Motoki recalled, I should have thought of it earlier. I'm her legal guardian at the moment; I can do whatever the hell I want, short of breaking the law! She's got nothing on me...  
  
People began turning their heads towards them and Lizzie's friends turned away from them, embarrassed. Lizzie's face flushed bright red. "Motoki!" She hissed, "Stop making a scene, you're embarrassing me in front of everyone!"  
  
"Good!" Motoki shouted; ignoring the daggers Liz was shooting him. "That'll teach you for blackmailing me to come and baby sit you because you don't have any cash on you right now.  
  
Liz almost collapsed into a pile of humiliation when her friends looked at Liz and curled their lips into snickers. Liz pulled herself together and walked back over to them coolly, ignoring how they had been glancing at her and Motoki the entire time, then stopped the conversation bluntly when she approached, giving off the obvious sign that they had been talking about her.  
  
Motoki smiled. His mission was almost accomplished. "Liz!" Motoki called out, happily. "I'm leaving, so you better find a ride with someone else if you're not leaving now. Remember, Mom told me that you better be home by seven because your curfew is at nine-thirty on weekdays and we still have to eat dinner and you still need to finish your homework." He finished loudly, for the whole mall to hear him. Motoki could see one friend of Lizzie's mouth to another: Nine-thirty? Is he serious?  
  
Lizzie stood there, fuming, as she mentally decided what the best plan of action would be. She was only given a few moments as Motoki began strolling in the opposite direction, fully aware of what her choice would be. She muttered something to her friends before she rushed after Motoki. "What about your friends?"  
  
"None of them want to leave this early." Lizzie informed him through gritted teeth. "Their curfews are later than mine and they're sure that they can get a ride from one of their parents."  
  
"You should have told me that then I wouldn't have had to stay." Motoki said, calmly. "Oh, but that's right, you need me for the cha-ching."  
  
Lizzie shoved him to the side. "You are going to so freaking pay for this, I swear to God—"  
  
Motoki shrugged indifferently and grinned. His mission had been executed and performed perfectly. "I don't think so, Lizzie."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Liz inquired, raising a brow. "You've got nothing on me."  
  
"Oh, I'm aware of that." Motoki only smiled. "But trust me, Liz, I've got contacts and they owe me big time, so if you don't stop trying to blackmail me into doing all this little chicken shit, then you are going to get yourself into a whole lot more trouble than you're worth. In fact, I don't even need to use those contacts, I might as well reserve those favors for something more important, I can just do a little complaining and give off a few false reports and Mom will pack your bags so fast that you won't even know what hit you when you're shoved on that plane back to America." He grinned. "Remember, I'm a big boy, I can do what I want with who I please, you're here only out of the goodness of my heart."  
  
At her cold stare, he could tell that he had gotten to her. He could see the fear creeping into her vision as she realized that he was serious and that Motoki did have a sort of power of her that she hadn't anticipated that he would use. She muttered under her breath angrily as she stomped to the car and tried wrenching it open, only to understand that it was still locked.  
  
Motoki loved being victorious.  
  
When they arrived home, Liz didn't even give him a backward glance as she flew from the car, stomped inside the house, and slammed the door behind her. To his delight, she was already inside and out of sight, so he didn't have to waste the effort of having to say good-bye to her. She had given him the silent treatment, ignored anything he said, and hadn't moved once from the rigid, slouching posture she had been in the whole trip home.  
  
It had been heaven. It had been one heavenly hour of a blissfully silent ride. No annoying girlish giggles, no stench of perfume being sprayed, no endless chatter about nothing! It had been great!  
  
Motoki gunned the engine and headed towards Makoto's house where he would find Usagi. Motoki had a feeling that his heavenly two hours of silence was about to a screeching end when he found Usagi.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Mamoru, where have you been?"  
  
Mamoru sighed heavily. "Nowhere. Just out."  
  
"Oh, please, narrow it down just a little, if you can?" Rei snapped sarcastically, she narrowed her eyes to narrow slits. "What is it that you're keeping from me, baby?"  
  
"If I'm keeping something from you, then the first rule would be to obviously not tell you." Mamoru retorted as he tossed the keys on the table and shrugged his lightweight jacket off his broad shoulders.  
  
Rei pouted. "I was just worried about you, okay? We had that fight and I felt miserable about it because something could have happened to you and we would have been parted on bad terms." She frowned. "But in any case, I can't believe you wouldn't even just call or give me some sort of sign that you're alright... that we're alright."  
  
Mamoru turned to look at her, curious. "What do you mean?"  
  
"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Rei repeated, grating on Mamoru's nerves.  
  
"That last comment, what did you mean by it?"  
  
Rei groaned. "I just meant that I hoped that you would call so you could assure me that we're all right. You know, that we aren't breaking up or anything. That the wedding is still on."  
  
"Why do you always think the worst of everything?" Mamoru asked, harshly.  
  
"What else was I suppose to think?" Rei demanded, wounded by his sudden inconsiderate nature. Was this the same Mamoru who was so loving with her in bed? "It's not like you give me any clues to think otherwise."  
  
Everything that Rei did seemed to annoy Mamoru to no ends. The way she would stick out her lower lip and pout, how she kept adjusting her strapless bra when she thought he wasn't looking, hell, even the way she crossed her arms over her chest bugged him! What was going on with him?  
  
"I don't know." Mamoru finally said, "I just need to be alone." He started off towards their bedroom, intent to lie in bed in the quiet of his mind, thinking whiling staring at the ceiling.  
  
"You were alone for the whole day already it seems!" Rei yelled out after him. Before he could stop her, she charged up from behind him and yanked him around so he was facing her. "Wait. Or were you? Were you out with another woman? Are you seeing someone else behind my back—" Rei's words caught, maybe this was when that saying was finally come around to bite her in the ass? How did it go again? What comes around goes around...  
  
"God, could you be any more insecure?" Mamoru shouted in exasperation. He regretted his words, quickly, however, at the hurt expression that crossed over Rei's face. But what he mistook as hurt was actually anger. "I'm not seeing anyone else! You want the truth? Is that what you want? Can you handle the truth?"  
  
"Well, the truth would be nice to have every once in a while—"  
  
"I went to see Usagi!" Mamoru bellowed irritably.  
  
Rei's ranting stopped at once. "You did?" She asked quietly. "Did you see her?"  
  
"Yes." Mamoru mentally counted to ten, trying to calm himself. "And the girls were there too."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Now she was speechless. "You won't believe what else I'm going to tell you." He told her, his voice growing as he approached the climax of his announcement. "I invited her to the wedding."  
  
"What?" Rei shrieked, breathlessly.  
  
"I know, I know, but I blanked out and that was the only thing that my mind could comprehend and actually say. I knew she was going to say no, but as I turned to leave, she accepted!"  
  
"That's great!" She held Mamoru's hand and began jumping up and down excitedly. "She's coming! We have to... oh God, I'll have to get her in the perfect seat and, Mamoru, she could be finally accepting us remotely friends."  
  
Mamoru smiled. "The moment I left Makoto's, that's what I thought."  
  
"So we can make our cake and eat it to!" Rei exclaimed, referring to an expression. Rei stopped jumping mid-jump, however. "Then what were you actually doing there if you weren't going to invite her to the wedding?"  
  
Mamoru hesitated. "I... I wanted to see Usagi." He admitted. He watched a growing realization passed over Rei's indigo depths. "I haven't seen her in so long and I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to explain myself. I wanted to apologize, I wanted to somehow earn her friendship back."  
  
Mamoru laughed bitterly. "I had everything I was going to say planned out, but when I saw her and the look she and the girls gave me, I just couldn't remember what I had planned to say. So I said the first thing that came to my mind: ask her to the wedding. I don't know, but maybe inviting her will help clear things up. Maybe somehow in a twisted way, that will help make things a bit better."  
  
Rei's reproachful gaze softened. "Oh, Mamo-chan, I'm sorry for assuming and accusing you so wrongly." She murmured as she gathered him into her arms and hugged him. "I miss Usagi's friendship too. You're right, inviting her to the wedding might be the thing that we all need."  
  
Mamoru nodded as he burrowed his face into her dark locks. But despite that she agreed with him, Mamoru had a feeling, a tiny, nagging feeling in the back of his mind that inviting Usagi to the wedding was in fact the exact opposite thing that they needed.  
  
"So we're alright?" Rei asked as she nuzzled the nape of Mamoru's neck.  
  
He smiled as genuinely as he could manage. "Yes."  
  
Rei giggled. "Good. Just checking to make sure."  
  
Mamoru let a faint smile cross over his handsome features as he absentmindedly ran his fingers over Rei's long, thick hair. Everything did seem to be all right between them.  
  
Except that Mamoru knew everything between them was anything but all right. Rei, sensing Mamoru's distress, pulled away. "Mamoru, honey..." she trailed off, unsure how to relieve him of his pain. And for once, Rei knew the remedy that would help more than her stripping for him. "I'll leave you alone for a bit. I've got to make a few errands anyway."  
  
Mamoru, thankful for that she was excusing him from his odd behavior, smiled. "Okay, I'll see you later, then. I'll be here waiting for your return."  
  
Rei gave him a small kiss on the lips before dabbing on some lipstick and fluffing her hair out in an attempt to give herself more of the control that she needed. She wished that she were going out only for a silly errand. But no, instead she had to take on all responsibilities of her wedding and pay a little visit to an old friend because a simple invitation just wouldn't do.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Looks like a clear night, but sharp signs of precipitation may put a end to this perfect—"  
  
Mina clicked the television off as the doorbell rang for the second time in the last hour. Mina groaned loudly; she didn't know how many more surprise visits she or anyone else in the apartment for that matter could handle.  
  
Usagi's head was resting on Makoto's shoulders from physical and emotional exhaustion, but at the sound of the bell, she raised her head and looked at Mina expectantly, hope and desperation lingered in her sky blue eyes...  
  
Mina hated the way Usagi was falling victim to the side affects of shouldering such burdens that were forcefully given to her. Her features seemed to be much gaunter and sharper than Mina last remembered, Usagi has always been skinny and fair, but now she looked pale and vulnerable, as if the past few days had drained her more than the last five years combined.  
  
"I'll get it." Mina whispered, her voice edgy and her thoughts disturbed by their sudden comprehension. This wasn't healthy for Usagi...  
  
Mina distractedly opened the door and looked up sharply at the speaker when she heard the familiar easy going, deep voice. "May I speak to Usagi?" Motoki ran his fingers through his affectionately tousled blond hair nervously.  
  
"Motoki!" Mina muttered with a groan. "I went to get you early this afternoon! Where have you been?"  
  
Motoki massaged his neck. "I was forced to go shopping with my little sister and her annoying friends." At Mina's reproachful look, he hastily continued on, "You don't get it, she has shit on me, she—I had to endure three hours of—"  
  
Mina gave him a silencing look as she led him into the living room. Usagi was twisted around in her seat and gave Motoki a rueful smile. "This is an interesting way to meet." She said wryly as she slowly stood up and stretched her tired limbs. "Lets go to the balcony to talk, where we can have some privacy." At the emphasis on the last word, the other girls blushed and began busying themselves by talking amongst themselves; not hiding their stolen glances and forced smiles well.  
  
Usagi sighed and tugged Motoki towards the direction of the sliding glass door. Usagi pushed the curtain to the side and pulled the door open. She softly closed it behind her as a warm breeze gladly greeted them. "Beautiful night, isn't it?" Motoki asked quietly as he breathed in deeply. "I love nights like these, gives you time to think, you now?"  
  
Usagi nodded almost imperceptibly. Mamoru use to almost say the same thing... "Are we ever going to talk about it? About that night we shared?" Motoki asked bluntly as he turned to stare at Usagi with wide, curious, light blue eyes.  
  
Usagi gulped. She wanted to talk about it, but now that they were actually talking about it, she wasn't so sure anymore. "I... I... don't know."  
  
"And when will you be ready?"  
  
"I don't know." Usagi repeated as she looked away. Her cheeks flamed guiltily. Motoki seemed so eager to please her, so eager to make everything work flawlessly. He wanted to talk about it and pour their feelings out into the open! That was more than she could say what Mamoru had done!  
  
He only has every right to talk about it, Usagi reminded herself.  
  
"So..." Then the conversation with Mina crossed his mind. Motoki's curiosity flared and got the best of him. "So why haven't you told your other friends about your return yet, Usagi?"  
  
Usagi shot him a sidelong glance. How did he know about the Outers? "Mina..." Usagi hissed under her breath. "It's not something easy for me to explain, Motoki." Usagi said shortly, unwilling to explain or elaborate on why it was complicated.  
  
"Try me." Motoki insisted. "Why shouldn't your other friends know you're back if they were close to you?"  
  
"I miss them so much..." She murmured sadly. "There are other things that I have to consider before telling them." She trailed off, unsure of how to explain everything without revealing that their true identities. He didn't understand that they were overly protective of her, so protective that they felt that since Mina, Makoto, Ami, and especially Rei had failed her, it was their time to take their places as her guardians.  
  
He didn't understand that they had lost almost all respect for her friends and Usagi wasn't sure what they would do, but if Setsuna backed them up, they could easily persuade Usagi that it was her duty to herself and to the rest of the world to give up the inners as her protectors and instead let them step up as her new defenders.  
  
Motoki looked confused. "Wait. How many other friends haven't you told? What are their names? Do I know them?"  
  
Usagi cracked a smile. "I haven't told Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna—although I'm sure she already knows—and Hotaru."  
  
"How do that Setsuna girl know, but not the others?"  
  
Usagi let out a throaty laugh that made Motoki's temperature rise a few degrees. "Oh, they have their sources."  
  
"I see." Motoki took Usagi's within his own and stared into her crystal blue eyes. He no longer had a desire to talk about her friends and why they didn't know. No, instead he was more interested in talking about them and where they stood in a relationship. That is, if they were in one. "I think that..." Motoki looked at her intensely. "I think that on several occasions I've almost told you hold I've felt." He began roughly. "And I don't think that I would have meant it as much as I mean it now. I don't know... I don't know where we're going to go from here, but all I know right now is that..." Motoki dwelled on his thoughts for a split-second longer before his mind was made up and he told her softly:  
  
"All I know right now is that I think—no—I know that I'm in love with you."  
  
Usagi burst into tears. She refused to believe his words; he was playing with her; how could someone fall in love so quickly? How dare he throw those words around carelessly, saying them to women that he feels intimate and romantic with at the moment!  
  
Usagi searched his eyes for any traces of laughter or that he was joking, but as Usagi had feared, she found none. He was dead serious, of course. Images of her past love, Darien flashed through her mind, sending icy shots of pain and uncertainty racing through her blood. He had pledged his love to her, maybe not through words exactly, but through his eyes, his facial expressions, his passion; Usagi wasn't sure she could trust herself to love Motoki or let herself accept his love...  
  
Usagi looked away and stared at her feet when she realized he was expecting her to say something. But this was Motoki, not Mamoru. They were two different men, two different personalities; they loved her in two different ways. But Mamoru would never love her and even if he did start to want her back again, Usagi knew she could never return to him, her heart would be unwilling to open up to him. But Motoki... Motoki had done nothing but sincerely try to earn her respect and love, he had done nothing to receive her strong mistrust for all men that had been a result from Mamoru's mistake.  
  
"Usagi..." Her cheeks were a rosy red color from crying and her hands were visibly shaking. Motoki tried to resist the effort, but he couldn't, he touched her chin and lifted her do her gaze met his. Oh God, how much Motoki wished he hadn't looked into her eyes. They scared and lured him in at the same time, lingering unforgettably in his mind, tormenting him with the thought that there was something behind those gorgeous eyes, there were hidden emotions carefully put away.  
  
It was as if she was baring her soul, like he was seeing into her heart through open doors... as if she dropped the barriers around her heart and letting him see past her fake façade that forced anyone away from her true feelings.  
  
The single revelation spoke worlds.  
  
It took a moment for Usagi to realize that she wasn't the only one crying. Motoki's impossibly large, blue-green eyes glittered with fresh tears against the velvety, darkened sky. Droplets of rain landed on the bridge of Usagi's nose and before she could blink, the light shower began pouring down faster, soaking her to the bone. It was as if the heavens had opened and were expressing Usagi's feelings through the weather's conditions.  
  
All thoughts and heart ache of Darien, her lost love, and the rain pounding around her escaped her mind as she stared into his endless twin pools of Mediterranean blue and felt a small sigh seep from between her parted lips.  
  
Motoki leaned in softly and touched his lips to hers. The pain, confusion, the world slowly faded away and fell beneath them, only they two existed, with the rain clinging to their eyelashes and their clothes hugging every curve and crevice of their bodies.  
  
When Motoki pulled her closer to him and soon both of their wet bodies were pressed against each other, she felt his body's movement and heat through the material of her clothing as if she wasn't wearing anything at all. Their need and the unmistakable feelings that there was something-more-than- friends-between-them broke past the deep confines of their guts and surfaced.  
  
Usagi closed her eyes as his mouth gently explored her own, as if he could take the rest of their natural lives kissing her and he'd still never be nearly satisfied enough. She felt herself lift upward slowly, the only thing holding her down was Motoki's arm wrapped around her waist and his lips that had captured hers in a tender kiss that only two lovers could share.  
  
Then she knew. She had, undoubtedly, fallen in love with Motoki. There may have still been doubts, but there was no mistake in Usagi's feelings.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Rei knocked loudly on the thick mahogany door; her heart was pounding in her chest in trepidation as beads of sweats were beginning to form above her brow. She began imagining what kinds of things they would do to her once they saw her.  
  
She hadn't seen them since shortly after Usagi had left, they had bluntly refused to help them fight in any battles and cut off any communication with the rest of the girls and especially Rei and Mamoru. She knew they had been terribly angry, Haruka the most, as Setsuna hadn't been able to give any information on Usagi's whereabouts and none of them had been successful in coming up with any leads on where she may have been residing.  
  
Hotaru's bright face appeared. "Hi, can I—oh." Her voice grew considerably darker when she saw who was at the door.  
  
Rei sighed. Asking them wasn't going to be easy. Their anger and resentment about Usagi leaving obviously hadn't cooled over the years. "Can I talk to Haruka please?" Rei asked timidly. She didn't know why she'd ask Haruka out of all of them, the name had sort of slipped out, maybe she could retract her request and ask to speak to someone a bit less dangerous, such as... none of them...  
  
"Fine. I have to get her." Hotaru said curtly before she shut the door.  
  
Rei could hear Hotaru's muffled voice talking to a deeper, more mature voice. She could only imagine what Hotaru was telling her. After minutes of standing outside, waiting, Rei started to think that they would leave her out there until she tired of waiting and left. But eventually Haruka opened the door and closed it behind her. "What is it that you want, Rei?"  
  
"I—I—just wanted to—"  
  
"I don't have all day." Haruka said impatiently.  
  
"It's about my wedding." Rei quickly stated. "I—I want you guys to come."  
  
Haruka snorted. "What the hell makes you think we'd come to your forsaken wedding? Your wedding symbolizes Mamoru's infidelity and your disloyalty; why would we want to come and give off the impression that we support something like that?"  
  
"Because... because..." Rei was speechless. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...  
  
"Talking to you is enough of a reason for—"  
  
"Usagi will be there!" Rei blurted out. She clapped a hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. She did not just tell her that Usagi had come back! _Oh, shit, _Rei thought in despair, Mamoru, not to mention the girls when they find out, are going to absolutely kill me!  
  
"What did you just say?" Haruka demanded, her eyes flashing angrily.  
  
"I—I—she... I didn't mean _Usagi_ is back _here_, I just—"  
  
"Tell me the truth!" She kicked her foot against the door in a show of aggravation. "I swear to God Rei if you don't and if you're lying then I will take it as my personal goal to—"  
  
This wasn't supposed to happen this way! They weren't supposed to find out about Usagi from Rei! "Jesus Christ, Haruka, I wasn't supposed to freaking tell you this!"  
  
"Too damn bad." Haruka yelled. "Now tell me whether or not Usagi is coming or else I can just personally go to the girls and—" Haruka looked positively stricken at saying Usagi's name, as if her name alone was painful enough to utter.  
  
"—She is..." Rei flinched. "...Umm... we spoke to her about it." She knew that mentioning Mamoru's name would release an even angrier side to Haruka that Rei wasn't quite eager to see and experience.  
  
Haruka clenched her hands at her sides and felt the backs of her eyelids starting to sting madly with tears she refused to cry. She had to get away from Rei fast. She wouldn't let Rei witness her emotional pain that only Michiru had once seen before when Haruka had found out about Usagi's disappearance and realized that she could do nothing to bring her back, as Setsuna had advised against it and wouldn't give them any clues. "All right. We're coming—but only for Usagi, understand that."  
  
Rei smiled only slightly. "Okay, just don't tell the other girls about her return—"  
  
Haruka glared at her. "What about Michiru and Hotaru? Don't they deserve the knowledge of knowing?"  
  
Rei shrugged, but her eyes were anything but calm. "Don't tell them. At least not until the wedding date, okay?" She looked past Haruka. "Usagi may want to tell you all herself and come around or if she finds out that they know, she may leave again."  
  
Haruka could sense that Rei was threatening her in a subtle way. Damn her. "Fine, I won't!" Haruka roared before she marched inside of the mansion and slammed the door behind her and in Rei's smug face.  
  
Haruka sighed, but felt her heart lift and cry and dance in joy and relief. Her princess was back. Finally.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mina surveyed the area before her. She could work with this. Easily. She kneeled over and pressed her ear against the soft material and strained to hear anything.  
  
"This is so wrong." Ami muttered guiltily as she covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "We're spying on them for—"  
  
"Ami it's not—oh, _shit_..." Mina gasped slightly and leaned forward, pressing her ear against the door harder until she could only hear her pulse instead of anything else.  
  
Makoto glared at the blond. "What happened, Mina? Dammit, we're doing this and—"  
  
Mina held up her index finger, signaling for Makoto to shut up. Mina peeked behind the curtain and suddenly jumped away from the door, grinning ear-to- ear. She began humming joyously as she ran over to the loveseat and flung herself onto it, resting there happily. "I knew it! I just so knew it!"  
  
Ami stared at her, utterly confused by her friend's baffling behavior. "Mina...?"  
  
Makoto marched over to Minako and spun her around to face her. "Why are you acting like such a freak? What did you hear? And what are you so excited and triumphant about?"  
  
Makoto stopped when the door slid open and a flustered Usagi stepped inside gingerly, followed by a flushed Motoki.  
  
Usagi mumbled an excuse resembling, "I have to go and get some stuff" as she left the apartment with Motoki before her friends could properly get any juicy information from her.  
  
Usagi and Motoki had a similar dazed, warm look in their eyes and both were completely soaked from the freak rain storm that had quickly sputtered to a light shower then ended only moments after they had stepped inside.  
  
Makoto drew in a frustrated breath and turned to face Mina with crazed eyes. "Will someone"—meaning Mina—"tell me what the hell is going on and what is wrong with everyone?"  
  
"Wonder where they're in such a hurry to get to." Ami commented casually as she flipped through the pages in the nearest magazine, her eyes barely registering the rainbow of colors and the blur of words.  
  
"Probably to make out." Mina chuckled quietly at her inside joke.  
  
Makoto whipped around to face her with a menacing expression. "Okay, your game is over, Mina."  
  
"Makoto..." Mina began as she licked her suddenly parched lips. "...Why are you giving me that I'm-going-to-kill-you-in-about-a-minute look?"  
  
"Because I am!" Makoto snarled. "You've had your fun, now spill! It's so annoying watching you prance around while Ami and I are sitting around completely in the dark."  
  
Mina yelped slightly as Makoto latched onto her arms and forced her to look into her eyes. "Now, tell me what you saw and heard and what you know. Right now."  
  
"Mina, for your own safety, I think that it would be the best decision if you told her." Ami said idly as she tossed the magazine to the side, stood up, and stretched.  
  
Mina looked at Ami's freedom longingly. "Thanks for the help, Ames."  
  
Ami laughed. "Oh, help? I'm also dying to know what you know. Nope, I'm not intervening this time."  
  
Mina wiggled uncomfortably in Makoto's death grip. "Fine... I've had a feeling about those two for a while now. As you've probably realized, they kissed while out there, and I was like: am I good or what because I knew it..."  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Tell me now."  
  
"I will, love, just not right now!" Haruka argued as she twisted around and furiously tried seeing past her lover's frame. She was missing one of the biggest games in racing history! Couldn't this wait until it was over, or at least until the next commercial?  
  
"Like I said, tell me now, and I'll move." Michiru insisted stubbornly. She snatched the remote away and held it hostage against her breast possessively.  
  
Haruka groaned in both desire and frustration. Did she really have to put the remote there? Of all places! "Michiru, I'd tell you, but I'm sworn to silence."  
  
"By Rei?" Michiru laughed sarcastically. "You wouldn't do a favor for that girl if she was on her dying bed."  
  
Haruka threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine. We're going to Rei's wedding. That's the goddamn secret."  
  
Michiru shot her a suspicious look. "Rei's wedding? What makes her think that—what?" Michiru did a double-take. "How did she persuade you to accepting her invitation? And how, exactly, do you plan on getting the rest of us to go with you?"  
  
Haruka sighed. "I'll explain everything in the morning." Haruka yawned and head upstairs towards their bedroom. It was obvious that she wouldn't finish watching any game on television tonight.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?" Michiru asked in a singsong tone.  
  
"Upstairs to go to sleep, perhaps?" Haruka moaned. She was so close, just a few more steps and she'd be home free...  
  
"Um, yeah, that's what you thought." Michiru flounced past the confused blond. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight."  
  
Haruka bowed her head. So Michiru was residing to cruel and unusual punishments, was she? Well, she'd go down with dignity! "Fine. I'll sleep down here for tonight and I'll enjoy it too."  
  
Michiru clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Haruka realized that her comment was the perfect opening for Michiru to pull the trigger. "Well, I'm glad that you and the couch are going to become such good friends because you better get used to sleeping on it until you tell me the truth and explain what's going on."  
  
Haruka sighed, backtracked a few steps, kissed Michiru on the cheek, and automatically went to the closet and dragged out the spare blanket and pillow that Haruka kept in there—just in case of an emergency.  
  
Haruka highly classified this as an emergency. Sleeping on the couch and knowing that it wasn't going to be the last time that week? The delicate matter required much more than backup...  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
When Rei came home and burst through the door, Mamoru was sitting on the couch, alone, in the dark. "Hey honey," Rei greeted as she kicked her pumps off. "I finally sorted out that problem with the invitations." Rei told him tiredly. "That place was so unorganized and I swear to God, when that clerk had to check the price and call the manager for the eighth time, I almost just gave up." Rei touched Mamoru's leg, causing him to nearly jump a foot into the air. "Why are you so jumpy?"  
  
"Nothing, I just..."  
  
Rei bit her lip. "So, I, uh, visited Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Setsuna to invite them to the wedding."  
  
Mamoru looked up at her sharply. "You asked them to come to the wedding? When did this happen?" He asked her incredulously.  
  
"I went to—"  
  
He continued, "Are you crazy, asking them to our wedding? Rei, come on, they hate us—wait. Wait a minute." He shot her a look. "How did you convince them to come along?"  
  
Rei giggled nervously. "Actually, that's really funny that you mention that, I invited her along and as expected she declined—rudely—and so I accidentally let the fact that Usagi is coming slip out.  
  
Mamoru swore that he began to see red. "You told her that Usagi was back? Well, there goes the friendship with Usagi and the rest of the girls because you couldn't keep your mouth shut!"  
  
Rei's hands trembled furiously. "You've become awfully close and caring towards Usagi, haven't you, Mamoru?" She accused heatedly. "I was wrong to accuse you of being with another woman earlier, but now I can see that I wasn't too far off! Call me jealous, but I'm just watching out for my heart and our future that you are putting on the line for memories that your heart refuses to let you forget!"  
  
"God, I..."  
  
"You may not have done anything yet, but I'm not going to compete with Usagi for your love. I can see it slowly forming in your eyes when she's mentioned, it'd be a travesty for you if she hates you anymore than she already does, huh? Which is worse, Mamoru? Losing your blooming friendship with Usagi or calling off the wedding with me?"  
  
"I... I—Rei, you're acting—"  
  
"Mamoru, I'm not blind." Rei seethed. She pulled the engagement ring off her finger and flung it at Mamoru with tears in her eyes, "Think about it Mamoru. Think about your priorities and what is most important to you. I'll be at the temple waiting for your answer. But don't think for a second that I'll wait forever for you, Mamoru. That was your biggest mistake with Usagi—don't make the same one with me."  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Well, that was a lot to take in." Makoto remarked airily. "See, that wasn't so hard. All you had to do was get over yourself."  
  
Mina scowled at Makoto and rubbed her arm. "Yeah right, it wasn't painless."  
  
"I wasn't holding you that tightly." Makoto insisted. "You just can't handle a little bit of pain."  
  
"I wouldn't know, would I? I mean, I'm only the person you were griping to death!"  
  
Makoto opened her mouth to snap at her with a catty retort, but Ami stepped in and stopped her. "Okay, you guys have established the fact that Makoto used her strength to force Mina to talk because you were being stubborn." Ami glared at the both of them infamously.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Ditto." Makoto muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head in the opposite direction.  
  
Ami smiled, despite herself. "So—Usagi and Motoki. How about that?"  
  
Mina grinned. "Oh yeah, I agree. Motoki will definitely treat Usagi better than Mamoru did, in my opinion."  
  
"Anyone could treat Usagi better than that low-life." Makoto deadpanned. "Plus, he'll have me to deal with if he doesn't. He's seen how Mamoru is treated now, so I think he has a vague idea of how painful it would be to have Usagi's friends against him."  
  
"I'm surprised we haven't scared him off yet." Ami let out a ruthless laugh. "I can be pretty evil when I want to be."  
  
"Why haven't we seen this evil side of you yet?" Mina asked, curiously.  
  
Makoto grinned wickedly. "Because she only shows her bad girl side to the men she goes to bed with."  
  
Ami blushed a deep shade of pink, but didn't say deny anything. Makoto and Mina shared evil, knowingly smiles as Ami stammered and desperately tried changing the subject to direct the heat off her. "So what are you wearing to the wedding?" Ami asked finally, her body physically slumping into the chair.  
  
Makoto glanced at Ami. "To the wedding?"  
  
"Aren't you going?" Ami asked, cocking her head to the side. "I figured that since Usagi is going... we were going to go and back her up..."  
  
Makoto sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just that I don't understand why she accepted in the first place and frankly, I really don't want to go."  
  
"I know, but where Usagi goes, I go." Mina proclaimed forcefully. But in all honestly, she really hadn't given a second thought on what she was going to wear, which was a definite first...  
  
Will boys be there? Mina wondered silently. Of course there will be hot guys there, Mina reprimanded herself, Mamoru might be the biggest ass in the world, but she was sure he's friends with a few well endowed fellows... besides, she's been dying to wear that brand new flirty number that she bought a few—  
  
"I'm going to wear the ugliest outfit that I can find." Makoto stated simple.  
  
"But why—oh... oh." Ami realized the brilliance of Makoto's plan and the gears in Ami's mind began working as she began scheming up devilish plans that were sure to not only interrupt Rei's wedding, but even the score and put to rest at least a small portion of the hell that they had been forced to deal with for the past five years...  
  
Besides, that's what Rei got for inviting them in the first place. Did she expect any less? Rei may have been taking the saying, "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" as none of the girls wanted to be any closer to Rei than absolute necessary.  
  
"But I want to look pretty!" Mina complained. "Why would we want to purposely make ourselves look ugly? And plus, Usagi will never agree to it—not to mention how angry she'll be when she finds out!"  
  
"Have you forgotten who we're talking about here?" Makoto sighed, as if she was talking to a five-year-old. "He cheated on her, remember? She'll agree to it because getting Mamoru and Rei back has been her life's dream since the moment she found out what kind of friends they truly are."  
  
Mina still looked unconvinced. "But still, Makoto, her kind nature won't let her do anything any less than generous and loving, like ruining their wedding, unfortunately."  
  
Ami began seeing the flaws in her plans. She realized that almost all her plans required Usagi as a main factor in them. "Damn." Ami swore under her breath, but Makoto caught it.  
  
"Ami! Watch that dirty mouth!" Makoto teased good naturedly.  
  
"Oh, like you haven't said a single bad word in your life." Ami snapped. Ami smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I'm just really tense."  
  
Mina patted her friend's shoulder in understanding. "I know. We all are, Ames."  
  
Makoto looked between them. "So, we've all come to the conclusion that Usagi would probably not be very happy with any of us if we totally screwed Rei's wedding up."  
  
"Yeah." Mina and Ami chorused together.  
  
"So, there's only one solution." Makoto had a gleam in her eye. She made sure that she had both of the other girls' attentions. They looked at her expectantly, their anticipation growing with each quiet exhale they breathed. "We totally screw up her wedding without anyone else who isn't in on it knowing and we make it look like we had nothing to do with it!"  
  
"I like it." Mina declared. "It's good, we'll cut off all ties and connections to anything and deny the truth to our graves."  
  
Ami looked skeptical, however. "But can we really lie to Usagi for the rest of our lives...?"  
  
Makoto shook her head. "God, no. We won't really lie to her... we'll just exclude certain facts until after the wedding and once she sees what we've done and how we've avenged her, she won't be able to stay mad at us for a second longer!"  
  
Ami curled her lips into a grin as she thought. "Okay. Okay, let's do it! I mean, when will we ever get more of a better opportunity than this?"  
  
"So! What disgusting and atrocious clothing shall we wear to the wedding?" Mina asked, rubbing her hands together, slyly.  
  
Makoto's face broke out into a gleeful smile. "Mina. Ami." She began grandly. "You haven't looked at the big picture yet. Wearing the ugliest clothes is only the tip of the ice-burg that's Rei and Mamoru are about to hit..."  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- 


	9. Chapter Seven

She's Back... - Chapter Seven  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Rei dragged herself up the never-ending flight of weathered, stone-stairs that led up to her temporary home, the Cherry Hill Temple. Last time she had been here, she hadn't remembered there being this many steps. "Finally." Rei muttered under her breath as she dropped her bags at her sides and pushed the delicate, sliding door open.  
  
"Rei-chan!" An older, enthusiastic voice shouted out, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the shrine. Rei smiled slightly as her grandfather stood from his cross-legged position; the only thing that had changed about him was that he seemed to have a few more gray hairs, if possible, on his already balding head.  
  
His laugh took a nasty dive and turned into a hacking cough. Rei stepped closer to him, worried that he was choking and that he would have to perform CPR on him if he needed her to... oh gross, Rei mentally retched, mouth-to-mouth with grandpa would so be not cool!  
  
Her grandfather waved her off and with a surprisingly strong grip; he pulled her into a semi-hug. She was barely managing to hug him, since he was so much smaller than her, his head rested barely below her chin and his upper body was pressed against her breasts, causing Rei to be uneasy and more awkward than usual. Had her grandfather gotten shorter or did she get taller?  
  
"Rei, Rei, Rei-chan." He repeated cheerfully as he pulled away from her. "How have you been? How are you and Mamoru doing? The wedding plans are coming along good, yes?"  
  
Rei swallowed and nodded. "How are those nice friends of yours doing? That blond one with the odangos... what was her name? She was very distinct, however, I remember that much." He shook his head. "Ah, nevermind. They are all nice and very pretty."  
  
She was more than unwilling to admit that that "blond one" was no longer on speaking terms with her and hated Rei with all of her heart. Not to mention the fact that that "blond one" was stealing her fiancée's heart from her once again...  
  
Not that it had been Rei's to start with, though...  
  
"They're great, grandpa." Rei lied easily. The anxious, troubled feeling when she lied washed over her; triggering unwanted memories of that tragic night that had ended a millennium worth of friendships...  
  
Grandpa poured himself a cup of sweet smelling tea. He offered Rei a cup and she took it gratefully, thankful that her hands had something to do rather than move stupidly at her side. "They use to stop by here so much before, why not anymore?" His face relaxed as he slowly sipped the warm, soothing drink.  
  
Rei hesitated. "They've been a bit busy to stop by. I'll tell them that you miss them, though." Rei assured him falsely. Thank goodness his memory was failing him and he didn't realize that they hadn't stopped by in over five years now...  
  
"Oh, good. I've always liked your friends, very nice all of them." He commented as he looked up at Rei.  
  
Rei fidgeted under his powerful gaze. She wished that they could get off the subject of her currently former friends and talk about something that she wouldn't have to, well, lie about. "Yeah, they are nice." _Not to me, exactly, but yes, to everyone else,_ Rei thought cynically.  
  
"Rei?" Her grandfather looked at her, worriedly. She lifted her lips into a ghost of a smile at the small gesture. She hadn't had anyone look at her with so much love and seem so concerned about her in such a longtime. She could feel herself growing more and more shameful because her grandfather adored her, thinking she was this wonderful person while she was telling him bald-faced lies. "You seemed distressed. Why?"  
  
The balmy liquid threatened to come back up as she made a choking sound. Rei hastily wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "Um, I'm fine." She forced herself to smile at him and with the remainder of her reserve willpower, she added, "It's the stress from planning the wedding, I swear. It's been really getting to me and grandpa, I just needed to get away from it all." Despite her remorse, she continued on, she was on a roll now, "I had to beg Mamoru to let me come here and stay for a few days because I've missed you and I need the tranquility of the shrine to refocus myself."  
  
Rei set the cup on the table, uneager to have another encounter with the tea. Tea was supposed to be relaxing to the muscles and the mind, wasn't it? Well, how long does it take for the feeling to kick in and take place? Rei asked herself despairingly.  
  
Her grandfather regarded her with wise eyes. "Yes, I see, my grandchild."  
  
"So is it okay with you, that I stay for a few days?" _Or at least until Mamoru takes me back... hopefully?_ Rei added silently in her mind.  
  
He nodded, eagerly. "Yes, yes, of course! You stay here for however long you wish!" he waggled his finger at her. "But don't expect to stay without repaying me by doing chores around here!"  
  
After they sat in silence for ten minutes or so, just enjoying the mere company of each other, her grandfather sipping his tea, while Rei watched him with her hands clasped respectively in her lap and her feet folded beneath her, they finally began striking up a conversation; a conversation that quickly became playful and argumentative.  
  
An argument between the two was dangerous; both had stubborn minds and refused to budge or compromise their thoughts or actions for the other. "You never used to complain so much before."  
  
Rei groaned. "I'm not as young as I was before. I have much more to complain about now than I did before."  
  
"So? I'm almost eighty-four and I'm getting better as my years pass me by." He smiled at her. "I honestly don't think that your silly wrinkles and lines are anything compared to mine."  
  
"Oh, please." Rei bristled. "I am still young, but I think that I should be given the opportunity to voice my fears about looking older than I actually am. I mean, yes, it was nice to look seventeen while I was really fifteen, but I don't really want to look thirty, when I am twenty-five, thank you very much."  
  
She looked at the trees outside critically, searching their branches for an answer; any answer at all. "Being old is a gift, it shows that you have aged well through life and that you no longer need simple things to please you as you've had them all already during your youth. Do you see me now? I am content with just being, Rei."  
  
"Save me from the getting-older-isn't-as-horrible-as-you-picture-it-to-be lecture because guess what, Grandpa?"  
  
He looked up at her out of amusement. "Because it is as horrible as I picture it to be! I don't want to grow old, no offense, because I want to stay young and be able to accomplish everything I do before I become senile and stuck in a bed all the time, too tired to stand up and go pee by myself."  
  
"I am not yet that old." Grandpa sighed dramatically as he slowly lifted himself up. "Save me from the getting-old-is-so-scary-and-I-want-to-be- young-forever speech. I've experienced your fears and trust me they are unfounded. Being old is a wonderful ride and I hope that it lasts for many more years because I am unwilling to get off of it yet."  
  
"But you know that it's true—"  
  
"One thing is for certain, however."  
  
"Yes? And what's that?"  
  
"As we get older, our views change from what it was when we were younger." He looked at her meaningfully. "There is always hope for all of us as we mature and grow older."  
  
Rei nodded and stood up quickly, rocking slightly as the blood rushed to her head. She decided to use that as her excuse to leave. She didn't know how much longer she could handle her grandfather's insightful remarks that were doing more than hitting close to home; they were hitting home. "I... I'm not feeling well; grandpa, and I've still got to unpack. I'm going to head back to my old room, okay?"  
  
Grandpa looked at her almost piteously. "All right, but you can't use your old room."  
  
Rei didn't understand why, but she felt her heart plummet to her feet. "Oh? Why?"  
  
"I use it for storage since you never really visited before and I thought of it as okay to use the room instead of letting an empty room stay unused."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I understand."  
  
"But you use guestroom, Rei-chan. It's got blankets in closet and even closer to bathroom than your old one was!"  
  
Rei shook her head, gathered her bags, and headed outside and to the back where the guestroom's door faced. It was only the most sensible thing for her grandfather to do; he had every right to make her old room somewhere for her grandfather to store things. Rei wasn't sure why she was acting like such a freak about it; it was just her old room for God's sake! In a matter of weeks she wouldn't ever have to think or even worry about it again!  
  
Rei threw her bags down, disgusted, and sat in her darkened room, her mind whirling from the past events. She hadn't allowed herself the time to think so thoroughly and so freely since... forever, it seemed.  
  
The truth of the past five years barreled into her mercilessly, forcing her to relieve events that she would have rather kept in the past, her grandfather's words came back and ricocheted inside of her mind:  
  
...Always hope for all of us as we mature...  
  
Rei listened to the words carefully, trying to find some hidden meaning between the lines. Her grandfather knew more than he let on, Rei should have learned that many years ago. But somehow everything that she had learned and known her entire life... it seemed to become lost to her during these past five years.  
  
She had lost herself and now she needed to find the old Rei that lied hidden deep within her. Rei knew that her grandfather was trying to tell her something and Rei remembered one thing, despite everything else that she had seemed to lot. She knew that the meaning of her grandfather's words would always find her, never the other way around.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Why does what we're planning feel so totally wrong?" Mina groaned as she struggled between the urges to begin giggling crazily or to moan and grumble guiltily.  
  
But she couldn't help but to let the excited, giddy feeling of finally getting revenge wash over her before the more modest, guilty party in her booted it out of her system and she returned to the battle between the two sides.  
  
Because it is totally wrong." Ami replied tersely as she searched diligently through Mina's messy, close-to-being-outdated address book. "How many phone numbers do you have in here?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. A hundred or so." Mina said listlessly as she stared across the room. It had been a surprising win; her bored side had won and defeated any feelings of guilt, excitement, or even the urge to want to complain. She was tired and bored, not a good combination for anyone else, but deadly to Mina.  
  
"Isn't that nice." Ami barked. "Mina, tell me, have you ever heard of putting things in alphabetical order before?  
  
Mina shifted her gaze to meet Ami's before she turned around and shrugged feebly. "Yes, but it was such a pain in the ass, so I just wrote down the information in the first blank spot I found."  
  
Makoto dropped her head into her hands. "Go figure that Mina's the only person who actually has Haruka's phone number."  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"What are we doing here?" Usagi asked breathlessly as they slowed down in front of the docks.  
  
"Don't you remember?" Motoki asked, grinning impishly. "It's where we almost first kissed." He lowered his mouth towards hers and added, "and it's going to be one of the places where we actually kiss many, many times..."  
  
Usagi giggled beneath his lips. His mouth being so close to hers was making it awfully hard to think and form coherent sentences...  
  
Once his lips finally found hers, Usagi felt herself drifting off into the hazy fog of the kiss; her mind separated itself from her body, then his hands were on her hips, dragging her closer and shaping her with their raw intimacy and need that neither of them could ignore.  
  
Unknowing to the otherwise preoccupied couple; Mamoru stood seven floors up on his balcony, still unaware of the two of them.  
  
Mamoru rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he remembered the hurt, surprised look that had crossed over Rei's face when he had closed the door behind her without any argument or begging of her to stay.  
  
She had been the one who decided to leave, what did she expect him to do? Grovel? Plead?  
  
"What to do... what to do..." Mamoru chanted to himself, quietly. His feelings were truly a mystery; they alone held his misery and happiness, somewhere inside of him. He was getting married, for God's sake. People who get married didn't have such doubts, did they? Having cold feet was one thing, but considering canceling the wedding was a whole other story.  
  
Mamoru stared out at the window at the setting sun. The sun seemed to stretch out spare rays of golden brilliance and splash marigold and turquoise across the almost blackened sky, which was absent of any stars.  
  
Mamoru scanned the horizon, satisfied that he had—  
  
Wait? The single word, questionable as it was, echoed throughout Mamoru's mind. His eyes were drawn to two figures kissing on the docks. He knew them...  
  
Then the female moved her head slightly, causing her blond hair to tumble to the side. Mamoru's heart constricted against his chest as he realized it was Usagi and Motoki together with their hands all over each other and their mouths dangerously close to touching.  
  
He stepped closer to the side of the balcony and his lower stomach pressed against the railing, he watched, haunted, as Motoki caused Usagi to erupt into a fit of giggles, her smile stung his heart with a burning stab.  
  
His eyes grew gray with agony as he watched Motoki lean down and capture Usagi's raspberry lips within his own. Usagi explored his now former best friend' mouth shyly and surprisingly, with an incredible amount of ease. As if she had done it countless times before...  
  
Mamoru's heart twisted with a jealous, heartbreaking lurch as he remembered how Usagi's eyes would be tender from their kisses and her lips would be red and soft from his kisses...  
  
Mamoru bowed his head over the railing that was clenched tightly between his pallid white fingers; he couldn't watch anymore, it hurt too much.  
  
But it shouldn't have, he told himself as he battled his jealousy. He was in love with Rei; he had been over Usagi the moment he and Rei had decided that they were going to go to bed together.  
  
It was her business on whomever she wanted to sleep with and kiss. It was her business to choose her new lover because Mamoru had stepped down from that plate long ago and left the spot open for any one to fill.  
  
But he couldn't ignore the distinct voice in him that wondered if there was still any chance left for him to redeem her heart...  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Any luck yet?" Makoto asked hopefully. She was so incredibly bored, but Ami insisted that if she had to sit there for the entire day, looking for that goddamn phone number, then so did they.  
  
"A minute ago I was in the E's... wait... I'm the K's again... nope, back to the E's..." Ami looked at her, apologetically. "Nope, sorry, nothing yet. I've only got a few more pages to look through, so their number should be in the last pages. At least Minako had the number semi close to the T's." Ami added, earning her a sarcastic snort from the brunette.  
  
She had been at it for an hour now, searching through Mina's address book, and every few minutes or so, Ami and Makoto silently agreed that they would either throttle Mina in her sleep or buy her an electronic address book that stored all the numbers alphabetically automatically.  
  
Mina brightened suddenly. "Oh, my God." She looked at them, her face seemed to drain of the cheerfulness that had inhibited it moments ago. "Guess what?"  
  
Makoto didn't even try to pretend she was interested. "What?"  
  
Ami whimpered. "Mina, please, spare us your imitation of the Geiko commercial. We already told you that we believe you have the best one!"  
  
Mina shook her head. "No. I just remember that I didn't put Haruka's number in my address book. I couldn't have, I had lost it at the time until you found it underneath that Shape magazine."  
  
An audible thump was heard from Ami's direction. Mina continued on, ignoring that Ami had barely stopped herself from falling out of her chair. "Its so simple. I wrote it down on a piece of paper and left it on my desk!"  
  
Makoto's eyes lingered on the small desk in the corner. It was an absolute mess; with papers stacked on top of each other, peeking out from between the pages of books, and hastily shoved to the back, trying to be hidden from the eyes of the world. There was no possible way in hell that...  
  
Makoto's gaze swiveled over to Mina's face, looking for signs of amusement that may give away the blond's joke she was playing on them. "Don't even tell me that's the desk you put the phone number on."  
  
Mina smiled sheepishly. "It's funny," She giggled nervously, "because that's the desk."  
  
After shuffling through papers and rifling through books, trying to find this mythical piece of paper that supposedly existed, according to Mina, Makoto jumped up triumphantly. "I found it."  
  
Ami eyed it carefully before she flopped back onto the loveseat like a broken doll. "God, Makoto, never again, never again will I ever participate in trying to find any sort of paper, phone number, or anything that has to do with looking through Mina's stuff. Because if I have to go through that again, I'm telling you, I'll commit suicide, I'll..."  
  
Mina groaned. "Please, Ami, I already said I was sorry about ten times—"  
  
"—More like two—"  
  
"—Look, whose counting, anyway? Haven't you said enough—"  
  
"If you hadn't written the number in an address book or put it into your cell phone like a normal person, instead on the back of a bubblegum wrapper, then—"  
  
Mina rolled her eyes. "Oh, like, who alphabetizes anymore?"  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"May I speak to Rei-chan?" Mamoru asked quietly, his voice hoarse from when he had been screaming in his pillow last night, trying to release some of the pent up frustration in him. His apartment was trashed and if Rei came back and saw the mess it was in; she would have a complete fit and melt down into a pile of fury.  
  
"Sure—Mamoru?" Rei's grandfather asked, concerned. "Are you okay? You sound terrible, just terrible—"  
  
"I've caught something infectious, I think, but I'm alright."  
  
Mamoru barely registered the "oh okay, hold on" Rei's grandfather muttered to him before there were faint sounds of muffled groaning and the shuffle of the phone switching from one person to another.  
  
"Hello?" Rei greeted groggily.  
  
"Hey, Rei. It's Mamoru." He told her flatly, his voice crackling only slightly.  
  
Rei was no longer sleepy, but wide-awake. "Hi."  
  
"I called you to talk about... yeah."  
  
"Should we go meet somewhere and talk about it over breakfast face-to-face or some—"  
  
"No it's be—no." Mamoru interrupted. He ignored the sniff of insult that Rei made. "I can't meet right now. The apartment is a mess and I think I've caught something because I feel like shit and look the part too. So I think that it would be best if you stayed at the shrine for a few more—"  
  
"Oh, okay, Mamoru, I get what you're saying." Rei stated as she put an emphasis on her words.  
  
"What? I didn't—" He tried to protest, confused by her anger that had suddenly kicked in. "I'm just sick, I—"  
  
"No, I get that you don't want me to come back over. I understand that since you are such the nice guy of the year, you're trying to let me down easy. I don't need you to be such a nice fellow, Mamoru because I'm a big girl and I'll do more than take it, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!" She shrieked, on the brink of losing all self-control.  
  
"I—I—Rei—"  
  
"I also understand that you don't want to go through the wedding." Rei said, simply. "I get that you want Usagi back!"  
  
Mamoru almost dropped the phone at her last comment. "You are—this is totally absurd, I just wanted to tell you that I—"  
  
She didn't give him time to finish, she clicked it off in a huff, aggravated that she hadn't had the pleasure of slamming it down instead.  
  
Mamoru stared at the receiver, bewildered. "Shit... I guess that means the wedding is... off?"  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Motoki poked her lightly in the side, only earning him a grumbled, "Just one more minute, okay?" from the half-asleep blond.  
  
"Usagi... Usagi... please, wake up..." Motoki gently prodded as he lifted her chin so she could up at him. He looked down into a pair of sleepy amethyst depths.  
  
"I'm just resting my eyes, don't worry." Usagi sighed as she nestled her head onto the crook in his shoulder.  
  
"But you've got to go back to the hotel, sleepyhead." Motoki told her, his pale, blue-green eyes twinkled, amused. "We have to go; the park is closing soon."  
  
"Toki-chan, don't worry about it." Usagi slurred. "We'll get home soon enough."  
  
At least she's sitting up on her own, Motoki thought positively. He watched as she stretched and relaxed, her eyes still held a sleepy look to them, but she was alert enough to stand up when he slid an arm around her waist and helped her up.  
  
Motoki focused on getting Usagi back to the hotel, not how her thigh rubbed against the length of his when they stood up and not how... "Okay, we definitely have to go home now."  
  
"Fine." Usagi muttered, he watched as her eyelids drooped. "Let's go."  
  
Motoki rolled his eyes up to the heavens and sighed heavily. Motoki loved Usagi and all, but honestly...  
  
This was the last time he believed Usagi when she told him she'd stay awake if they took a midnight walk and had a few drinks beforehand.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mamoru shifted the weight from one leg to the other. What was he thinking? Rei had called off the wedding and in the process took care of a lot of his problems. She had made it quite clear that she never wanted to see him again because of his hesitation with his love with her.  
  
He lifted his hand to knock, but brought it back down to his side. If she had taken care of a large portion of his problems, then why was he standing there, in front of the shrine, arguing with himself about his pathetic problems that he had technically created for himself in the first place?  
  
Before he could come up with an answer, the shrine door slid open with a whirl and Rei popped out, a large box steadied in her arms.  
  
"Excuse me, I—" She stopped mid-sentence when she looked up from over the box and realized who was in her way. Her grip on the box slackened and it slipped from her grasp.  
  
Darien reflexively caught it and handed it to her, his biceps bulging slightly through his tight, pale green, long sleeved shirt. "Um, hi. Yeah, this is weird."  
  
Rei flushed a deep red color. "Umm, it is." She said, flushing. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be chasing after Usagi or something?" She coolly remarked, regaining her composure. She swept past him and descended down the flight of stairs with the box still in her hands.  
  
He followed her, reluctant to play in her hard-to-get, dramatic make-up episode. "If I wanted to chase Usagi, I'd be over at the hotel that's she's staying at instead of being here trying to work through things and talk."  
  
Rei didn't look convinced. "Did you come here to ask the ring back? Or did you want the keys to your apartment back so you could give them to Usagi—"  
  
Mamoru grabbed her by the shoulders as gently as he could and spun her around to face him. "Goddamn, Rei, could you stop being so freaking stubborn and hear me out?"  
  
Rei nodded soundlessly, but she focused her gaze elsewhere. "I don't know why you think that I want to..." he paused, still in disbelief about what he was doing. "...Cancel the wedding, but I don't. I'm here so that we can come together and try to mend our relationship and not let this one fall out ruin what we have between us."  
  
"Really?" She smiled. "You don't want to cancel the wedding?"  
  
"No, of course not." Mamoru assured her weakly. Usagi didn't want him back and even if it took his heart the rest of his natural life to catch up with his brain, neither did he. He saw her letting Motoki sticking his tongue down her throat; what more of a sign did he need? She was obviously falling in love, not to mention with the wrong guy. Mamoru flinched at his selfish line of thoughts, he snapped back to reality when Rei's voice reached him.  
  
Uh-oh. "You come here, asking for forgiveness, and you even have the nerve to ignore me! Grandpa said our views tend to change as we grow older and I'm beginning to see what he means! At first I thought that the dreamy look in your eyes was cute, but not that I know whom you're dreaming about, it's really a turn-off now. I cannot believe how blind I've been... for this long, too."  
  
Mamoru took the box from her and tossed it in the dumpster. He bit his lip and searched her face a few moments, her warm breath touched his skin as she continued to lecture to him, oblivious to the fact that what she was saying was definitely not getting through to Mamoru.  
  
Leaning downwards, Mamoru did the only thing he could think of to shut his raven headed beauty up: he kissed her, long, hard, and with an extreme amount of tongue.  
  
That shut her up quite nicely, Mamoru noted with satisfaction.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Yeah, she fell asleep, and I'm just trying to get her to her..."  
  
"Say no more, buddy, I understand." The security guard leered knowingly. He winked and Motoki had the distinct feeling that this cheap, underpaid rent- a-cop really had no idea what Motoki was going through and that he understood nothing.  
  
But when the security guard's hand brushed against her cheek when he leaned forward to press the elevator button for him, Motoki felt a surge of jealousy shoot through him. "Yeah, okay. Thanks for your help, buddy." Motoki said in a clipped tone as he shoved past the guy and carefully helped the barely awake Usagi into the elevator.  
  
"She's a real catch." The guy told him. "A real beauty is more like it."  
  
This guy was disgusted Motoki and did Usagi's beauty, both inner and outer, no justice. "Yeah, I know."  
  
The buff cop smiled lustfully at Usagi before turning away. "When she tires of you, golden boy, I'll be here."  
  
Motoki growled predatorily at him before he jabbed the button. He had never been much of the jealous type before, but now with Usagi he didn't know what kind of person he was anymore. "I'm sure that she'll keep that in mind." Motoki commented sarcastically, warranting him a dark look from the security guard.  
  
The elevator made a quiet sound of arrival and the large doors pulled open, revealing a long line of doors on each side of them. "Usagi, we're almost to your room."  
  
Motoki then realized that he had no idea what her room number was or even what floor she was staying on. He had been so intent on getting Usagi away from the creepy security guard that he hadn't even bothered to find out her room was.  
  
Motoki nudged her, trying to bring her back to semi-consciousness. "Usagi, you've got to wake up. I've got no idea where your room is."  
  
"Uh-huh." Usagi muttered incoherently. "Are you sleeping over?"  
  
Motoki blushed, despite the fact that he knew perfectly well he was indeed not sleeping over. "Usagi, you're not making sense. Which room are you staying in?"  
  
"...I can't remember. Oh, God, my head is killing me..."  
  
Motoki looked at her, alarmed. He'd drunk plenty of times before to know what that meant and what usually followed comments like those. "Uh-oh. Okay, don't panic, I just... where's the room key, Usagi?" Maybe her room key had the room number on it.  
  
"Here." Motoki was relieved to see that she was slowly coming back to him as she dug into her pocket and handed him the key, along with all her receipts and every other scraps of papers.  
  
And as it turned out, the key of course didn't have the number of the room on it. But as he glanced through the papers, he realized that the receipt from the hotel was among them, and her room number and what floor it was on was, thankfully, scribbled on the bottom of it, obviously to remind Usagi and help prod along her memory that hadn't improved greatly over the years.  
  
Ten minutes, two floors up, and three attempts at opening a door later, Motoki had finally pushed the door to Usagi's room open. Tossing the key and the receipts on the nearest table, he made his way to the bed and gently laid her down in the bed. Her hair had come undone from its ponytail and was now spread out around her, creating a halo affect and making her seem like a sleeping angel.  
  
Motoki slipped the covers over Usagi's delicate body and resisted the urge to climb into the bed with her and lie down next to her warm body. "Are you leaving?" Usagi's soft, sore voice broke his thoughts.  
  
"Yeah, I have to." He told her regretfully. "I have to open the arcade tomorrow."  
  
"Oh okay. Oh, hell, I—" Usagi stopped and made a choking sound before she jumped up and hurtled into the bathroom.  
  
Sounds of gagging and purging noises were heard in a matter of minutes. Motoki flinched. He really wasn't the puking expert on hangovers or anything, but he had gotten drunk enough times to know that tomorrow was going to be a hellish morning for her.  
  
She seemed to be wide-awake now. "Motoki..." Usagi called for him weakly. She began throwing up again, this time her eyes watered painfully as she gripped her stomach.  
  
Strong fingers grasped her hair tenderly and pulled it away from her face. She looked up at him gratefully. "Thanks, Motoki, I..."  
  
Motoki sighed, but he leaned down onto his knees and rubbed her back in soothing, circular motions. "You're welcome, Usagi."  
  
Usagi tried to explain, but it felt like someone was taking a ram and battering it at her head. She wanted to tell him that she appreciated him, that she couldn't have asked for someone better to help her, but puking her guts out left her not much room to talk at all; plus, Usagi decided against trying to open her mouth unless necessary, who knew what might come out?  
  
Instead she gave him a watery, closed mouth smile before she groaned in annoyance and at her throbbing head. She felt another round surge up her throat, Usagi groped for the edge of the toilet, but missed and instead one hand griped the seat and the other landed in Motoki's lap. Usagi mentally hit herself over the head when she realized that she did suck at aiming and that instead of puking her guts out into the toilet, she had done it instead onto the bottom half of Motoki.  
  
"Oh! Oh, Usagi... oh... this is... just so... eh—" Motoki swallowed the bile that forced itself up his throat. "—It's okay, I just—"  
  
Usagi gaped at Motoki in horror. This wasn't good! Usagi grimaced; she wished she could just take back the whole day; nothing good had come from it and this just proved it and topped the entire thing off! Plus, this was so not the romantic approach and sexy appeal that Usagi had been planning on capturing Motoki with. In fact, Usagi believed that she was having quite the opposite affect on him. Usagi wanted to cry once she saw the look of horror and disgust flash across his face.  
  
"It's all right, I'll clean myself up, then I guess I'll leave or something because you'll need your sleep or whatever." All of a sudden, lying down with Usagi in bed didn't sound so tempting as it had earlier. He just needed to take a nice long shower and change into some new clothes, and perhaps, burn the ones that he was wearing now.  
  
Usagi bit the inside of her cheek as she blearily looked up at Motoki and tried to focus on his face. Why couldn't he stop moving around and just stand still? "Oh, God, Motoki... I really sorry—you're not mad, are you? I just... you must hate me now..."  
  
Usagi frowned. Motoki bent over and leaned towards her, despite his current situation. "Nah, Usagi, don't feel guilty; it was an accident, I understand that. I'm not going to, like, blow up over this. It's just..." Motoki paused and let his gaze flicker over his lower half. His eyes returned to Usagi and he gave a reassuring smile, however forced it may have been. "...Throw up, you know? Nothing big."  
  
Usagi tilted her head. "Are you sure? I... I feel horrible."  
  
"No, no, no. It's nothing. I just need a towel or something." Motoki hated to admit that what he really needed was to change his clothes.  
  
Usagi wanted to stand up, but she couldn't find the power in her legs to lift herself up. "Oh, Jesus, okay, I'll walk you to the door..."  
  
Motoki waved her off and slowly stood up, careful not to look at his lower self. "Don't worry about it, okay? You just stay here and..."  
  
He didn't have the chance to finish because she collapsed to the ground and leaned over the toilet bowl, sounds of retching starting up again. Motoki sighed and looked at himself. He supposed that he wasn't that bad off... he could take his pants off or something if it really bothered him that much...  
  
"Here, I'll stay just for a little longer..." Motoki grinned. "Anyway, I know that since your hangover tomorrow is going to really, really suck, we'll be in equal amount of pain."  
  
At Usagi's surprised expression, Motoki grinned at her apologetically. "It was a joke, Usa. I won't be feeling too great either when I know you'll be feeling like crap and having a monster headache all day."  
  
Usagi's face visibly relaxed. "Oh." She gave a weak attempt of a laugh. Her throat still burned and her head was beginning to buzz with a warning that the oncoming headache was going to be anything but harmless and painless. "I didn't quite catch it that time."  
  
"I could tell once you looked at me with that look that said: and-I-thought- you-were-a-nice-person."  
  
Usagi laughed, but immediately regretted it afterwards. "I don't think any less of you, trust me. It should definitely be the other way around."  
  
"Oh, I think none of the sort." Motoki flirted shamelessly. "Do nice people kiss unbelievably desirable girls like yourself?" Motoki asked slyly.  
  
Usagi grinned, in spite of the sickening feeling that boiled in her stomach. "I think that I'll have to get back to you on that one."  
  
"Oh, you're so funny, huh?" Motoki smiled, despite the pungent smell. He still marveled at his incredible luck at meeting a girl who wanted him as much as he wanted her. Even though he was covered in puke and she was on the verge of throwing up again.  
  
He leaned in and touched his lips to hers and sighed as his body heated up in response to hers and he felt his pulse quicken considerably. God, what an affect she had on him!  
  
They continued for a few more minutes, both of their fingers fumbling with the other's shirt, that is, until Usagi hastily pulled away, breaking their dream-like kisses. Motoki's mind came to a halting stop and crashed back to reality, reminding where they were and the circumstances that they were under.  
  
For him that immediately broke the mood. "I've really got to go, Usagi, it's late... I'm sorry." He sighed, feeling like the biggest jerk for leaving her on her own to fend for herself against the attack of the hangover. "I don't have to open until eight tomorrow and I'll drop by beforehand with some presents that I guarantee you'll love me for."  
  
Usagi groaned good-naturedly. "Okay... it's fine that you've got to go... bye..."  
  
He kissed her forehead before he let himself out quietly. "Bye, Usagi... love you..." But he had closed the door long before he had uttered those last two words, making it impossible for her to hear him.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Ami was not amused when Mina had that thoughtful look on her face that suggested she was toying with the idea of going through with her plan that was completely overrated and not through well at all.  
  
"Mina," Ami began with a sigh, "we don't have time for this. I thought we already decided on what we're doing."  
  
"But—"  
  
"Mina." Makoto muttered darkly with a hint of danger laced in her single word of warning, shutting the blond up.  
  
"Okay, fine. Can I have a code name then?" Mina begged, pouting.  
  
"All right, already! You can have a codename!" Ami rolled her eyes. "Does this mean that along with codenames we should get walkie-talkies and matching camouflage outfits because God forbid we're not dressed properly."  
  
Mina put a hand to her forehead, as if Ami's comment had made her feel weak at the knees and dizzy with disgust. "Ami, you have much to learn of fashion. Honestly, what were those designers thinking when they decided that mud brown and dark green was actually the new periwinkle and mauve? Were they trying to make a fashion statement that said: join the military if looking like the next drab generation is your thing?"  
  
All Ami could manage to do was let out a sigh of defeat and give Makoto a look of admission. "Mina, we'll consider your plan if it'll shut you up about your unintelligent argument about army fashion designs."  
  
Mina grinned happily. "You guys are going to love the idea."  
  
Makoto grunted. "I highly doubt that if it includes you and your insane ideas in the mix."  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mamoru decided that since he and Rei had reconciled, they would have to begin the wedding planning fiasco again sometime. He still wasn't sure what his heart wanted. Getting back together with Rei and getting married to her forever was exactly what he had been outlining for their future the moment he bought her that diamond ring. She was sexy, beautiful, smart, independent, and powerful, what more could he want? Why was this decision so hard for him?  
  
But in the depths of his mind, Mamoru knew the answer to his question. He was choosing to not acknowledge it. He was afraid of being alone. Rei was an obvious safe choice, he cared for her enough to have the desire to marry her, but he could feel himself pulling towards the direction of Usagi.  
  
But he had given up any opportunity with her when he and Rei had slept together! Usagi could and would never take him back, even if he wanted her to, because she was for one, with Motoki, and for another, she most probably hated him to her very core. If he gave up Rei and Usagi never wanted to speak to him again, he'd be right back where he started: alone and out-of-place in the world. How could he face life after experiencing what it felt like to love and be loved? How could he be expected to...  
  
"Mamoru?" Rei repeated irritably. "Is your head in the clouds again?"  
  
"Yeah? No, no, of course not, sorry."  
  
Rei smiled, satisfied by his answer. "Back to reality, Mamo-chan. What kind of flower do you thin we should place on the church's steps? I was thinking that we could use something like..."  
  
Mamoru stared at the pictures in the album, but his brain barely registered a single picture or the captions. All he could think about was whether or not he was making the right choice. His thoughts were consumed by his decision—he could almost classify his fixated thoughts as obsessive and almost scary.  
  
What if he wasn't ready to make such a commitment? What if he and Rei weren't meant for each other? Would he be ruining his life along with Rei's?  
  
"...And I really think that it goes well with the lilies. Don't you think so, too?"  
  
Mamoru shot Rei a strained smile. "Of course," he said, as if he hadn't said it more than fifty times before, it seemed.  
  
"Oooh, wait. This one!" Rei giggled dreamily. "I like this one better. Don't you, Mamo-chan?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I do, too. But what if—"  
  
Mamoru stood up, startling both himself and Rei. "I've got to go. I just remembered that I have to let in the cleaning crew to the apartment"—he smiled helplessly—"they say they'll need me to sign liability papers and so forth as well. You understand, don't you?"  
  
Rei looked as if she had recovered slightly from his sudden change of heart. "Y—yes, definitely, I understand." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Tell them to hurry and do their job because I want to come home." She looked around her and rolled her eyes. "Living with grandpa is great and all, but the temple is apart of my past, and my past isn't a place that I feel like revisiting right now."  
  
Mamoru winced at her implication, but said no more. The less words spoken, the faster he could leave. "Call me, Mamoru."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I love you." The words hovered in the air, daring him to not acknowledge him. Mamoru opened his mouth to repeat the words, after all they were just words, right? It wouldn't hurt anything if he said those words without as much feeling as he said they meant.  
  
In fact, not saying those words would hurt more than actually saying them. Not saying them would signal warning bells in Rei's mind, only setting off another onslaught of problems and misunderstandings between them, widening the growing golf-sized gap between them.  
  
"I love you too." Mamoru said flatly as he flashed outside, intent of freeing himself of the unsure words as quickly as possible.  
  
Rei watched Mamoru disappear outside. "Here we go again." Rei muttered as she swished the curtains closed and turned away from the window. He was doing it again; telling her one thing while his eyes and his body completely said something else.  
  
He thought he was being secretive and a quick thinker about his excuses and feelings, but Rei knew better. He was trying to get away from her and that "I love you" that he mumbled quietly to her—what a fake!  
  
"I might as well do something too!" Rei decided aloud as she stood up and pushed the mounds of books and fabrics to the side. Rei surveyed the room around her thoughtfully. What on earth could she do to keep herself occupied?  
  
Then an interesting thought struck Rei. She let a mischievous smile play at her glossy lips. It had been such a long time since she had had a girls' night out with the remaining lot of friends that she had left.  
  
She hadn't gone out dancing with anyone in even a longer amount of time. With a mind set out on having fun and forgetting about Mamoru's unsure words, even if it was for a few hours, Rei swept into her bedroom, and realized that since she had left the apartment in such a rush, she was short of anything sexy or wild enough to wear.  
  
Damned! Rei thought sourly. She mentally searched the bedroom's closets at the apartment for any outfits that might be worth her time, and as she feared, she found none that met up to the high expectations that she had set.  
  
Besides, if she went to the apartment and Mamoru was there, he might think that she was so desperate for him, that she had followed him back there with the lousy excuse that she needed an outfit.  
  
Maybe clubbing was out of the question; maybe she had grown too old for it. Rei shook her head. No, that sort of negative thinking would get her nowhere. In fact, she needed to go clubbing, not only to get her groove on, but to maybe flirt with some guys, after all, who knew what would become of her relationship in the future at this rate with Mamoru?  
  
With a resolved mind, Rei dialed her friends' numbers, praying that they had an extra outfit that she could borrow and that they would be willing to take some time for themselves to hang out with Rei, who had more than enough time for herself.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- 


	10. Chapter Eight

She's Back... - Chapter Eight  
  
Lady Nakosha  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
This is the last chapter needing to be edited and improved! From here on, it's brand-new spanking chapters! The improvement stage has been fun and must come to an end, but all that means is as one chapter closes, another one opens with new beginnings and even more fun than the last!  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
"Operation RTW (Ruin The Wedding) has a green light!" Mina squealed excitedly. "It took some persuading, but I am happy to report that the group is back in action once again!"  
  
"And Haruka agreed to this?" Ami asked, skeptically. She was more than skeptical; she was becoming increasingly concerned, especially since Haruka had now agreed to participate. They were acting half their ages, with their silly codenames and ridiculous plans; Ami was still baffled about how Mina was chosen as their leader. She loved Mina, but honestly, did she have to go so overboard with everything?  
  
Mina's grin widened, if possible. "You bet your ass she did!"  
  
"And... how does Michiru feel about this?" Ami questioned, matter-of-fact. Somehow she didn't think that Michiru would have accepted this as easily as Mina wanted them to believe. She hoped that Michiru hadn't lost her cool head and dived into the entire situation headfirst.  
  
"If you must know, Miss Party-Pooper, Michiru doesn't know about it yet." Mina blushed. "Haruka wouldn't tell me why, but I have a feeling that Michiru wouldn't be so agreeable to our plan. In fact, I think that Haruka is afraid that Michiru might sabotage it because her conscience is that strong!"  
  
"If only we had the same problem." Makoto muttered under her breath. Ami nodded imperceptibly, yeah, if only.  
  
Mina glared at the both of them. "I think that if we had that sort of problem, then absolutely nothing would get done around here. We all know that we need me to keep things lively, to keep us on our toes, and to keep is from letting opportunities—such as this one—from passing us by!"  
  
"Mina, you aren't thinking everything through, though!" Ami sighed irritably. "First of all, 'ruin the wedding' is really quite lame and unoriginal for a name and for another, ruining Rei's wedding is going to be a complete disaster if everything doesn't follow through as we planned!"  
  
Mina looked downright insulted and aghast. "Ami!" She shrieked. "I swear that you're jinxing us and you don't even care! Jeez, can you be anymore pess—pessi—"  
  
Sigh. "—Pessimistic—"  
  
"Yes, could you be anymore pessimistic about everything?"  
  
"I—"  
  
Mina took a deep breath. "Okay, everything will follow through and even if it doesn't"—she smiled evilly—"then we can improvise! And besides improv on the spot can only make things more interesting and turn a strategy from boring and planned out to upbeat and completely spontaneous!"  
  
Ami must have been looking at the cup as half-empty, as she failed to understand how Mina was looking at such a tenacious situation from the bright side. "Please—we all know that spontaneous is never fun when it comes to ruining someone's wedding! Honestly, Mina, you are just too immature for your—"  
  
To avoid World War III, Makoto jumped in and gave each of her fired-up friends compromising smiles. "Now guys, we're on the same team, lets not get so angry about something so stupid, okay?"  
  
"Whatever." Mina muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But we'll know whose fault it's going to be when the plan all goes down the drain and to hell!"  
  
"Mina, how did Haruka react to the news about Usagi coming back?"  
  
Mina sniffed and turned her chin upwards defiantly. "Why should I tell you?"  
  
"Mina..." Makoto began, her eyes flashing in warning. Suddenly warring with Mina didn't seem like such a bad idea. In fact, Ami seemed to be on the right track...  
  
"Well, she wasn't shocked or had any emotions alike ours."  
  
"How did she react?" Makoto rolled her eyes. "Because I'm pretty sure that we've hit every emotion that there is to feel. Our reactions were off the charts and then some; first there was crying, smiling, anger, a bit psycho attitudes on Makoto's part, and well, I speak for everyone when I say a majority was confusion and frustration towards a certain blond who keeps insisting on her way."  
  
"I don't think Usagi has been asking a lot from us lately."  
  
This time it was Ami who prevented another war. "Tell us in detail, Mina. This is important for our plan." Ami cringed at how primitive their conversation had sunk. She wasn't use to not sneaking quantum physics into the conversation and no one noticing.  
  
But for some reason, Ami had the feeling that Mina and Makoto would notice and they wouldn't be very interested in continuing another conversation with her again, if she did try to talk with them about other matters that didn't revolve around boys, food, and shopping.  
  
Before Minako could begin explaining, Makoto interrupted her with another question. "Hold up for a second. Did you tell Haruka about Usagi being back? Or how did she know about Usagi's return?"  
  
Mina rolled her eyes. "Rei came over and told her about the wedding."  
  
Ami filled in the gap when the truth flashed before her. "And she either let it slip accidentally or purposefully—"  
  
"—So to insure that they would come." Makoto finished for her. Ami could see that Makoto's boiling point was quickly being reached. She couldn't say any less for herself; how dare Rei use her knowledge of Usagi's return to her own benefit!  
  
It was so something that Rei would do, given her past decisions and actions, why hadn't they seen it before, instead of figuring that Rei had maybe changed some since Usagi had come back?  
  
Mina wanted to say more, but Ami cut her off. "Alright, so Haruka already knows about Usagi coming back and she agrees to this ridiculous plan that you've concocted and got us to also participate in. I don't even need to guess on the fact that Haruka is in on the plan to get back at Rei."  
  
"But what about Hotaru and Michiru?" Makoto reminded them. "When will they be let in on our little dirty secret?"  
  
"Since Michiru is Haruka's lover, I'm guessing she won't be able to hold out for much longer. But then again, since she isn't telling Michiru and Hotaru—probably for Usagi's sake—it's hard to tell how long she'll keep it for. Probably until the wedding since she won't be able to hide those two from Usagi the entire time."  
  
"You think that Rei told her not to tell the rest of them?"  
  
"It's likely, but you never know." Ami told her thoughtfully. "Maybe Rei thought that by telling Haruka to keep the secret of Usagi's return from Hotaru and Michiru, she was somehow making up for the fact of telling Haruka in the first place."  
  
Mina nodded in agreement. "Well, this only makes going through with our plan a definite, girls."  
  
"So, what's next on the list, Mina? What are we doing now?" Ami asked, suddenly motivated to jump into the action. "Details? We haven't really discussed thoroughly what we're actually doing, only that—"  
  
Mina's face crumpled. "I hadn't thought that far ahead!"  
  
Confusion crossed over Ami's features. "Excuse me?"  
  
"I thought that figuring out our outfits and getting everyone to agree to the plan would be our first priority and that, you know, everything would come naturally from then on." She flushed sheepishly. "Frankly, I hadn't thought that anyone would actually agree to it, much less us going through with it."  
  
Ami gaped at her. What had happened to Mina being the optimistic one who looked at a situation with positively and viewed everything as a glass half- full? If she hadn't thought that their plan would work or that anyone would actually have the brains to want to participate in it, then why had she tried her hardest to get them all to believe in Mina and agree to participate?  
  
Ami decided that for once she would be the one who looked at the fiasco through a different perspective. "Okay, this is just a minor set back, then. We'll just work twice as hard to work out the kinks and getting everything prepared, all right?"  
  
"What? You—"  
  
Makoto sighed and fell back into the cough behind her. "Of course. I must have been living beneath a rock my entire life to think that the plan itself would actually be a bit more important than the outfits. But that just shows you how much I know."  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Rei giggled as her old friend, Ward, led her over to the nearest vacant table. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time, you know." Rei slurred drunkenly as she smiled the best seductive smile she could manage in her state. "Especially since the girls and I found you here. Funny how fate works, don't you think?"  
  
Ward swallowed with difficulty. Some kind of fate; the familiar tug of his crush on Rei pulled at the edges of his heart, it seemed that old crushes died hard, no matter how much time you gave them. "Rei, where are your friends anyway?"  
  
Rei waved her hand around vaguely. "Over there talking to guys, probably. But of course I felt left out because I can't flirt with other guys since I am engaged to Mamoru."  
  
"You're engaged to Mamoru! Right! Good for you for resi—" Ward stopped mid- croak, trying to preserve the last shards of his morality that he could. "You're getting married soon, so maybe it isn't such a good idea that you're here; especially with me completely trashed. I—I better get you home... he's probably really worried about you and—"  
  
It was then that Ward realized that Rei was no longer laughing and giggling, instead she was crying. Lifting her violet depths to meet Ward's, Rei tried her best to focus on him, but she found herself begging the Earth beneath her to stop spinning so much. "I—I—" Rei blubbered, trying desperately to make sense. "He—I—cleaners came to clean and—and—his—I love you was—"  
  
Ward, more worried and confused than in desperate desire, cuddled Rei into his arms and began smoothing down her hair. "Hey, hey, what's wrong? Slow down, honey, you came here to have fun, right? Why are you crying?"  
  
"Everything is a mess, Ward." Rei sobbed incoherently. "Mamoru isn't worried... he only l—loves Usagi." Rei hiccupped uncontrollably.  
  
Ward remembered hearing that name from somewhere, but he decided what where he had heard that name from before was irrelevant. "Mamoru loves Usagi? No, Rei, he loves you. Rei, how could he not love you?"  
  
"You don't get it! You don't understand!" She kept repeating over and over. "I don't know. He loves Usagi!" Pushing herself out of Ward's tight embrace, she stood up and held her hand out, steadying herself. "C'mon, lets go upstairs."  
  
"Upstairs?" Ward squeaked, fully aware of what people did upstairs. "Rei... no, no, this is a bad, bad idea—the upstairs is for people who, well, you know. Do stuff! The kind of stuff that you won't be doing tonight, unless it's with Mamoru, your fiancée." Ward felt that he was very close to giving up on resisting Rei and he was seconds from letting the words, "Yes, upstairs! To the bedroom! Just us!" slip off his tongue, but he thanked whatever self-resistance he had left for stopping him.  
  
Rei didn't hear him shouting behind her, though. She continued stumbling past people and pushing her way through the crowd, trying the best in her state to get upstairs and accomplish whatever mission her drunken mind had thought up.  
  
But when Rei started to slow down and finally collapsed into Ward's arms, Ward let out a gruff sound of surprise as the six drinks of martini on the rocks had finally taken their toll on her.  
  
Making his way upstairs with an unconscious Rei in his arms, Ward quietly pushed the door to one of the upstairs bedrooms open and prayed that no one else was in there. He wasn't in any state near being able to drive them home and he trusted no one else with either of their lives, much less Rei's.  
  
He supposed he could call Mamoru, but how awkward and suspicious would that be? They obviously needn't anymore mistrust or tension between them. His parents? What was he—fourteen years old? He couldn't really call any of his friends as they all were probably smashed themselves, unable to answer the phone without puking on it, and from what he had seen, all Rei's friends seemed to be here themselves.  
  
So staying here was their only solution—or so he'd like to believe—left. Lying Rei on the bed, Ward let himself drink in her body's physical perfection. Her short dress made no effort to hide her long, bronzed legs. Ward bit the inside of his cheek; he was battling within himself, the good against the bad. And Ward, at the moment, wasn't sure which side he wanted to or would win.  
  
Compromising with himself, he decided it would do no harm to just give her a small peck on the lips. She'll never know and so will no one else, Ward reassured himself as he propped his hands on either side of her and leaned slowly towards her face, his lips closing the gap between their mouths.  
  
When his lips touched against hers, his resolve for a small kiss broke and snapped in half when Rei, with a passion that Ward never knew a drunken woman possessed, hungrily responded to his heated kiss and Ward let the length of his body press against her smaller one.  
  
He inwardly smiled smugly at how perfectly their bodies fit together. Ward hesitated, Rei was his friend—she wasn't in her right mind... she was drunk and so was he, he shouldn't be heading in the direction they were going...  
  
But when Rei arched against him in need and desire, his manhood forced him to push all thoughts of caution, consequences, and morality to the back of his mind and even Ward surprised himself at the speed he unbuttoned Rei's skimpy blouse with. But even as he viewed her shapely breasts and began kissing her, he still felt no guilt from advancing his relationship with a woman who was supposed to be "just a friend" and who was getting married in less than a few months.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Mamoru tossed the phone on the bed and rubbed his eyes. He had tried calling Rei three times in an hour and still she hadn't answered her cell- phone. Her grandfather, who was one of the last people on the planet to not have a phone, was out of the question and he was sure that Usagi's friends wouldn't have any idea or care in the least where she was. But nevertheless, it was beginning to irritate Mamoru to no end. Was she acting so childish over the "I love you" that she was screening his calls?  
  
Mamoru decided it was useless, trying to comprehend the thousands of reasons why Rei wasn't answering her phone. He wasn't going to even start to give himself another load of anxiety over his fiancée's actions. She was a big girl anyway, she did what she wanted and she didn't have to check in with Mamoru when she did something.  
  
Mamoru unconsciously flinched. He still was wondering, even at this point, whether his decision to reunite with Rei was really the best plan of action. But after thinking about it for a moment, Mamoru realized that it was his only plan of action, but Mamoru still couldn't help but to dwell on the "what if" questions when he let his mind wander from whatever he was doing.  
  
He still thought about how things would have turned out between him and Usagi if he hadn't gotten together with Rei that fateful night that essentially left both him and Usagi emotionally in shambles.  
  
But Mamoru stopped his thoughts midway, already he was driving himself insane with questions that would never be answered. After replacing the phone in its cradle, Mamoru headed over to his desk that held some complicated problems that Mamoru had yet to solve.  
  
Mamoru mentally cheered at this; with equations like these, there was only one answer, no gray areas to confuse you, and that was what Mamoru needed right now. A solid answer without gray spots to confuse and have him doubt himself endlessly.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Makoto and Ami had been up for most of the night devising the "plan" while Mina had promptly fallen asleep moments after they had started, which had been four hours ago. "And she was the one who thought up the mess and dragged us into it!" Makoto muttered, throwing the sleeping form of Minako another dirty look.  
  
Ami softly laughed as she looked over several papers. "Shh, Makoto. Calm yourself. We were both well aware of the consequences of letting Mina persuade us to participate to begin with, so don't think about it too much."  
  
"I wish I knew what the consequences of being her friend would be when I met her!" Makoto said gruffly as she crossed her arms over her chest and pointedly refused to look at the papers spread out before her.  
  
"Makoto just let it go. I know that you aren't that angry anyhow, you're just annoyed, irritated, and slightly crazed from lack of sleep."  
  
Makoto looked at Ami with disbelief. "How can you let it go so easily?" Makoto continued to ask, even though she had already picked the nearest pen and pulled other pieces of papers closer to her.  
  
Ami looked up from what she was writing and gave Makoto a smile that bordered between sugary sweet and dangerously insane. "Oh, Makoto, haven't you learned by now? I don't get mad, I simply get even."  
  
With a look of understanding, Makoto also began also smiling evilly. Ah, so that's how geniuses work... "Looks like Mamoru and Rei aren't the only ones in for a surprise, my good friend, Ami."  
  
The next day, Mina sat up slowly, yawning loudly as she stretched her arms above her. Glancing over her right shoulder, Mina soon did a double take. "What the—what are you doing here?" Mina screeched as she jumped up from the couch.  
  
Melvin gave her a toothy smile. "I've been waiting for you to wake up, Mina. I've been careful to not wake you, though."  
  
Mina thought it sounded more like a threat. She cringed, had he been watching her sleep? How... odd. "Why are you here, Melvin?" Mina asked, after finally getting over the initial shock. "How did you get in? Did you break into here or something? Why would you even want to be here? We never—and I mean never—"  
  
Melvin almost went into a fit of laughing and snorting. "Why, heaven's no! What do you think of me, Mina? (Mina opted not to tell him) Of course, your good friends, Ami and Makoto invited me here and let me in. On the way out, they said the strangest thing, they said, 'This will teach her.' I wonder whom they were trying to teach. Hopefully it was calculus because I take great joy in teaching others that as its my favorite—"  
  
"You—Melvin... what did they say to you on the phone when they called?"  
  
"They asked me to come down and keep you company while they went out to work on what they were planning since you seemed so content sleeping. They didn't want to trouble you enough for you to even help them, which seems nice."  
  
It suddenly clicked in Mina's mind. They were trying to get revenge on her for falling asleep—and they were, unfortunately for her, succeeding at it too! "Do you know where they went or when they'll be back?"  
  
"Um, no. But they said they'd be back as soon as they possibly could." Mina almost laughed; she highly doubted that.  
  
Mina fell back against the couch. She wished she could ditch Melvin, but she knew her conscience wouldn't allow it. Melvin may have been insanely weird, but he Mina wasn't so cold-hearted that she'd leave him when he thought that they were actually going to hang out together.  
  
Mina's eyes narrowed as another realization came to her. And that was what Ami and Makoto were hoping for too; they wanted her conscience to overrule her personal wants so that she would endure an entire day—at this rate—with Melvin to teach her a "lesson."  
  
Well, Mina had learned it, so could Makoto and Ami come home already? Melvin turned towards Mina with a hopeful look. "This is going to be a lot of fun. Want to make up problems and then solve them together?"  
  
"Eh..."  
  
At Mina's hesitation, Melvin quickly threw out more ideas. "Or we could take a look at a few problems I'm in the middle of designing. They involve a bit of trigonometry, which I thought would make it a bit too easy, so I included a lot of calculus type material and managed to even throw a bit of Game Theory in there, which amazed even me. The length of the problem so far is astounding... so are you up for a little bit of Game Theory and calculus in the morning?"  
  
Mina sighed and bowed her head. Calculus? Game Theory? Whatever happened to monopoly or Candy land?  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
Usagi groggily opened her eyes and realized that she was in bed. She also realized after a minute that she was half naked, with only the thin white sheet covering her and her form was pressed against someone else's.  
  
Turning her head around, Usagi found herself centimeters from sleeping Motoki's face. Usagi smiled as his arm tightened around her and he also opened his eyes, which were cloudy with sleep. Usagi glanced at him curiously. "Is... was it my imagination or didn't you go home last night?"  
  
"Yeah, but remember I told you that I'd come back today with more presents?" He smiled. "I came back with presents—they're in the kitchen and when I saw you here sleeping so peacefully, I couldn't help myself but to lay down with you."  
  
"Ah." Usagi smiled. "I like waking up in your arms."  
  
"Me too. It's quite the enjoyable experience." Motoki teased playfully.  
  
Motoki opened his mouth to respond, when Usagi's stomach grumbled softly. "Ugh, I think that its time for breakfast, what do you—" she stopped mid- sentence when Motoki wriggled free his arm from beneath Usagi and turned the clock towards them.  
  
"Oh no, it's seven-forty, Usagi!" Motoki moaned. "I have to be at work in twenty minutes. I have enough time to take a shower and probably get there in time since your hotel isn't that far away from the arcade." He frowned sheepishly. "Sorry I have to get a rain check for breakfast."  
  
Usagi sighed, but she immediately brightened. "I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me." She told him cheerfully, though even Motoki could see the sly in her glittering blue eyes.  
  
All Motoki could do was groan with desire and aggravation. "Don't Usagi or else I'm going to abandon any ideas of getting up from this bed to go to work. If you keep up with that look you're giving me, we'll be in here all day."  
  
Usagi laughed. "I just said I know a few ways you can make up breakfast to me, that's all. You have a dirty mind, Motoki."  
  
With another quick kiss on her lips, Motoki threw a towel around him and hurried into the bathroom, but only after winking at Usagi, signaling that he would, indeed, be making up breakfast later that night.  
  
After the water turned on, Usagi dragged herself out of bed and immediately decided that she was hungry, but definitely not hungry enough to cook for herself. Curling up on the couch, Usagi clicked the television on and began flicking through the channels, not really paying attention to what the screen showed. Her mind was a thousand miles away, in the land of where love was uncomplicated, a place that she had been visiting frequently.  
  
Even though she felt something she was sure was love or at least something bordering close to it towards Motoki, for some reason whenever she let her mind drift, it always strayed to thoughts of Mamoru that she desperately wished would disappear. She didn't love Mamoru anymore! It was Motoki who was in her life and who would continue to be in her life!  
  
Before she could mentally proclaim this any longer, Motoki flung the door of the bathroom open and took the nearest comb and ran it through his tangled, blond hair. "Usa, have you seen my shoes and my keys, I can't—"  
  
After taking a minute to regain her composure, Usagi pointed to the bureau and smiled slightly. Then she leaned over and pulled out from beneath the couch his shoes. "Viola! It is magic, how I find these things."  
  
Motoki smiled graciously and took the shoes from her, but only after pressing his lips against her forehead. He gazed into her eyes, convinced that he if he just stared at her for the rest of eternity; he wouldn't notice anything else. "I love you, Usagi."  
  
Usagi saw how soft his pale blue eyes had become when he uttered those words to her. After smiling to herself, Usagi said softly, "I love you too."  
  
She watched as Motoki reluctantly pulled away and began unlacing his shoes. "I have to take a shower, I'll see you later, sweetie. I'll probably drop by the arcade or something."  
  
Before he could come up with a response, Usagi swept into the bathroom and closed the door gently behind her. When Motoki yelled his good-bye, Usagi found herself pretending to not hear him and she turned the shower on to full blast, listening as the water drowned out his voice and the door banging closed.  
  
Usagi wrapped her fingers around the marble sink and stared into the mirror, memorizing the reflection that looked back at her. She noticed how the familiar glow of excitement and bubbly enthusiasm for life in her eyes had slowly sunken behind the haunted gaze of years of betrayal, hurt, confusion, and pain.  
  
Usagi inwardly scolded herself when she saw that a single tear had made it past her airtight barriers and was making its lone path down her cheek that had become flushed with emotion. But instead of wiping it away, Usagi watched as more tears followed behind it, until both sides of her cheeks were wet with tears and for once, Usagi did nothing to stop them.  
  
She could only watch as her true feelings began to unravel and reveal themselves in their true form, even if Usagi was nowhere near to being able to accepting them.  
  
--- --- --- --- --- ---  
  
It seemed that not only were Motoki and Usagi the only ones who found themselves together. Only Rei and Ward seemed to be caught under slightly different circumstances. "Oh, shit." Were the first words uttered by Rei when indigo peeked out from between her half opened eyes as her gaze traveled up the arm snaked around her waist up to the face that, unfortunately, didn't belong to Mamoru, but to her long-time friend, Ward.  
  
"Ward... wake up!" Rei hissed, her mind working over-drive as she tried to comprehend what was going on and what had exactly had happened last night. Let this be a nightmare... Rei thought gloomily. Oh, on second thought, let this headache also be apart of the nightmare, she silently added as she felt her head hurtle itself at a brick wall.  
  
Thinking seemed to only welcome more pain. She remembered Mamoru running out of the temple, obviously distraught... something about cleaners coming and he needed to let them in. She had called up some of the few friends she had left, met them at a club she hadn't been to before and to drain away all her problems, she had gotten herself completely trashed. But before her third shot of tequila, she had met Ward—who, might she add, wasn't scrawny and not the same kid she knew through high school who had wore wire-frames and abused his privileges as a teacher's pet—and reunited with him before dancing endlessly with him to song after song. After that, things started to blur together and the only thing that made any actual sense was Ward's worried face when she started to bawl.  
  
But maybe that was only apart of her imagination? "Rei? What's wrong?" Ward sighed from behind her. "Are you okay?"  
  
Rei turned sharply at the voice, fully ready to demand an explanation for why they were sharing a bed—although at that point, it seemed incredibly obvious to her—and to tell her exactly what had happened that had led up to them coming to the broken and dirty bedroom they were in—was it his bedroom? If so, he was a real pig—and how it came to be that they did... whatever they did.  
  
Rei shuddered at the onslaught of scenarios of what they could have done while Rei had been drunk, vulnerable, and completely easy. She prayed that Ward hadn't changed so much emotionally and mentally and that she still knew him as well as she had during high school. It was highly unlikely, but she hoped that he was still that same shy and stuttering idiot who was the smartest, yet most clueless person she knew who could never in a million years take a girl while she was drunk. He was kind of like... Usagi.  
  
When she turned to face him, he blew out a stream of hot, morning-breath air and gritted his teeth together, still asleep. "Goddamn." Rei muttered as she moved away from him. She had to get out of the compromising position that they were currently in before anything else happened.  
  
The state they were in... it was ironically like the state that she had been in with Mamoru. Only he was single—from her knowledge—and she was the one with a fiancée, reading herself to get married the next month!  
  
Mamoru! The name shot a fiery arrow to her heart, paralyzing her with fear for a moment. She started to breath easier when she realized that _he_ had run out on _her_, therefore giving him no knowledge of where she was because she hadn't contacted him once since he had left the day before.  
  
Just as she slid out of the bed, stark naked, dry blood crusted around the insides of her legs, her clothes thrown at random parts of the small, windowless room—giving a very good perception of what had happened between them the night before—the door that led to who knew where suddenly slammed open, a dark figure stood ominously in the threshold, his jacket flapped behind him from the sudden burst of air that blew from the door opening.  
  
Screaming, Rei grabbed the sheet to her breasts, disbelieving that this was happening to her, that Mamoru had found them out and that she would be left behind once more, this time not by her friends, but by her fiancée—  
  
"Jesus, woman, shut friggin' up!" The man reprimanded, "There are other couples in the other rooms sleeping, fucking, and doing whatever else kinky displays of affection towards each other that they please." Rei heard the sick sense of humor in his voice.  
  
Wilted with relief that he wasn't Mamoru and her secret was still safe, Rei closed her mouth, noticing with annoyance that Ward still hadn't awoken. Reading her mind, he smiled toothily. "Must have given him a nice night, eh?" Tightening her grip on the sheet, she glared at him through narrow slits.  
  
She knew she must have not been at Ward's place... unless he owned a goddamned whorehouse. Is that where he had taken her? To a filthy, low- class complex where he could get some and then hopefully turn her into some sort of paid fuck-bunny?  
  
Though, the man who still stood in the doorway, leering pervishly at her, made the thought not seem so farfetched and only heightened the repulse and disgust factors. But he seemed familiar, she had seen him before somewhere; she couldn't quite place his face—  
  
"Girlie, y'all can't be staying here for free, so you better tell me how you're paying—cash or credit—or else you and your boyfriend are gonna have to find other means of payment." He cocked his eyebrows roguishly and hooked his fingers through the belt loops on his baggy blue jeans. "And for you... I can think of a few ways that we could work out your payment options without having to involve any money."  
  
Grimacing, Rei shot him a look of utter contempt. "Yeah, no thanks."  
  
He shrugged, miffed by her cool brush-off. "It's a good offer, and by all means it's still on the table, but don't even try to leave without giving me my fifty. I'll find you both and drag your sorry asses back here so fast that you won't know what hit you."  
  
Rei turned away from him when he shut the door and stared into her hands. Is this what she had become? A two-timing slut who gets drunk, does people without even knowing them, wakes up in unknown surroundings, and then contemplates leaving without even talking to them?  
  
Was she a magnet to endless come-ons from jerks and disgusting creatures like the man who had just brightened their day with his little visit? She had been so repulsed by him that she hadn't even thought of asking him who he was or where they were.  
  
If Ward did own something resembling the playboy mansion, maybe he wasn't so far off if he asked her to become apart of the "family" that he had assembled. Maybe he had seen something in her that she hadn't seen before, but was only realizing now.  
  
Of course, Ward was still sound asleep, he was completely dead to the world, and obviously he had had some to drink as well. Slipping on her slinky, semi-gauzy number that she had borrowed from one of friends—who, she had no idea up to that point—she sat on the bed once more, her eyes glazing over as she watched Ward in his slumber.  
  
Was she even fit, according to the relationship standards, enough to get married to Mamoru or any other man? With her current temperament with men, she'd last a few months or so free of anyone else besides Mamoru until her true nature would begin to call for her.  
  
"I can change." Rei told herself aloud. "I will change for Mamoru." She swore, telling herself that this was the last time that she'd ever do anything unfaithful or degrading to herself, her relationship with Mamoru, and finally, to Mamoru himself. She would prove to everyone that she was meant to marry and while at that she'd do a damn good job of it too!  
  
Well, if Ward did happen to like her after this and wanted to get together with her—behind Mamoru's back or in any other way—she'd have to spell it out to him that she loved Mamoru, he was her one and only, they were getting married, her and Ward sleeping together was a giant, colossal mistake (okay, so maybe she wouldn't emphasize the mistake bit that much—pride purposes, of course), she and Ward could never be, and she was giving up her ways of being a slut, putting it bluntly.  
  
And, she would also make it clear that she had no interest in him or any one else, besides Mamoru, as anything more than friends and that she would never succumb so low as to become a fuckbunny, no matter what he saw in her.  
  
She touched Ward's face before pulling back. Too bad, Rei contemplated, that she was making this pact with herself. Ward was undoubtedly hot and could possibly even give Mamoru a run for his money in the looks department.  
  
Just as Rei stood up, releasing the bed from the load that had been weighing her side down, gently rocking Ward, he made a sound and began stretching, his face scrunched up in shaking his asleep limbs awake. "Rei?" He croaked, glimpsing her smooth down her outfit. "What—what's—"  
  
Rei had completely readied herself for any response. "I refuse to be your goddamn fuckbunny, no matter what you offer me!" She shrieked; her mind had blanked as she went for the automatic offensive play.  
  
Ward stared at her, baffled. "What—I don't understand—"  
  
"You know what I'm talking about!" Rei snapped, adding in the effect of rolling her eyes. After regaining herself from the outburst that even she admitted had been uncalled for, she decided to go for the cooler, but disbelieving approach instead. She'd be distraught, hurt, and if he gave away to her vulnerability, he'd be saving them more trouble in the long run. But if not, then before she grew too sniveling and pathetic, she'd coldly enlighten him and demand for any answers that he would give to her without so much of a whimper.  
  
"But—"  
  
"Just tell me why you brought me up here and where we are." Rei looked away, hoping that he had caught her purposeful look of hurt. "How could you betray me like this, Ward? How could you take advantage of me in the state I had been in? I thought you were _better_ than that, I thought you were my _friend!_"  
  
Ward breathed heavily through his nose. "I am your friend, I was trying to help you, and I didn't—"  
  
"Oh, you were trying to help by sleeping with me, despite the fact that you knew I was engaged?" Rei interjected, curling her lip in mistrust and distress. "How will Mamoru react to this? He'll never trust me again—he'll kill us both!"  
  
After a minute of silence, Rei decided to try again. "Just tell me what happened; all I want is the truth and something to fill the gaps in with."  
  
Ward, still hung over, nodded and ventured into the long winding tale of what had happened, stopping at points to squint at the wall as his head swam with agony and to recall facts. When he ended, Rei sat on the bed, motionless.  
  
Her first thought struck her as almost funny. So they weren't in a whorehouse and he didn't want her to be his fuckbunny? "Oh." She shook herself of her stupor. "You didn't really elaborate on how we got into bed together, though. You just mumbled off and said it something that just happened. Sleeping with people doesn't just happen like that, Ward!"  
  
"I know. You were sleeping—sort of—and I leaned over to... tuck you in and my lips brushed yours and you just responded so strongly that I just... gave into your feminine charm and irresistible force."  
  
She highly doubted that his lips 'accidentally brushed hers' but she let her skeptics go. "Okay," Rei decided that that this was as good as any time to let him onto her newfound realizations. "Well, I hope you know that this whole thing between us is going to go nowhere."  
  
At his partially masked crestfallen look, she continued on. "You know it can't and frankly, I don't want it to go any further than it already has." She held her hand out so that he could fully view her diamond ring. "I'm getting married to Mamoru, Ward. What did you expect? Did you think that just because we slept together we're going to suddenly hook up and run away?"  
  
Ward was silent, angry with himself because apart of him all along had been hoping that very wish. "I don't know, I really don't."  
  
"Don't you know what kind of hell this is going to cause for Mamoru and I? Now on top of everything else, I've got to deal with infidelity. We've got enough problems as it is, this is going to only cause the rift between us to widen."  
  
"Then maybe there is hope for—"  
  
"No," Rei rubbed her temples. So long went her game plan; she was going from what she had on the spot. She hadn't exactly expected for Ward to argue her on this. "I'm not going to be with you ever, don't you understand that? Not because I can't—but because I have no want to be."  
  
Her eyes softened at the look on his face. "You are a very desirable man, Ward, you're just not the man for me. Don't worry, you'll find someone who can fully appreciate you for who you are and who can love you with as much love as you love them."  
  
He nodded slowly, letting her words sink in. "All right. But are you sure that you love Mamoru and that you don't want—?"  
  
"I'm sure." She said firmly. "I love Mamoru and he loves me. Despite what problems we may have, we'll make it."  
  
"But what about this Usagi woman? She seems to threaten—"  
  
Usagi's name caused Rei to collapse onto the bed in weary. "Usagi is in the past as well as our present. She will always be here, but not in the same sense you are implying. There is nothing between them and I will prove it the moment Mamoru and I kiss on our wedding day to seal our vows to each other."  
  
Ward put his hand over hers. "Rei I hope you are right about your beliefs because if you aren't... you are only going to end up hurt in the end." He smiled at her sadly. "And I'm not going to wait around for you, Rei, as much as my heart wants to because I deserve better. I deserve love."  
  
Rei opted against hugging him and stood up. "It's been... fun, if you can call cheating on your fiancée that, but I'm afraid I've got to go. I don' t think that we can ever see each other again because of what's happened between us. I don't know if I could handle it, truthfully."  
  
"Yeah... so this is good-bye." Ward looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry for the mess that I created by us sleeping together. I shouldn't have been so selfish and tried harder to find another way to get you home. I just wasn't thinking and my freaking testosterones just had to act up—"  
  
"It's not entirely your fault." Rei leaned over the bed towards him. "Although, I do have one last present for you."  
  
Ward's breath caught as her lips came perilously close to his. He started to pucker; maybe one last kiss would change everything and they—  
  
"You can pay the bill of fifty dollars."  
  
--- --- --- --- --- --- 


End file.
